Teachings of the Past
by Wheel Then
Summary: Ichigo is in the Dangai Precipice world on his way to the Soul Society when an encounter with the infamous Sweeper sends Ichigo tumbling through the fabric of time and ends up 200 years in the past. The story starts right after Orihime gets taken to Hueco Mundo by Ulquiorra Cifer. Ichigo is not extremely over powered at this time. Rated T for Language and later Violence.
1. The Accident

**I know a ton of these stories have been written, but I really love this idea, so I wanted to write it with my own spin. I noticed in most of the time travel stories have Ichigo go back after the Aizen arc, so I decided to write one where Ichigo isn't completely overpowered yet. Ichigo POV unless other specified.**

******EXTRA: I started this fic in January so some of the elements will be non - canon due to me not knowing them at the time.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

The Accident

"Shit!" Ichigo was mad, very, very mad. Orihime had been kidnapped by Aizen but Toshiro and the others would not listen to what he was saying. They all claimed that she must have betrayed them and joined Aizen. No matter what he said, no one would listen. At the moment Ichigo also felt very useless and weak. What was the use of becoming a shinigami if he could not even protect one friend? He had also been thoroughly defeated by Grimmjow after his mask had shattered. He could still feel the fatigue in his body. So his mind fuming with anger, he had gone to the Urahara shoten to get some advice. The only idea he had come up with was rushing into Hueco Mundo and rescuing Orihime. Though, at his current power level, he considered it to be his last option. One he would only use if he could think of nothing else.

"Ah, Ichigo, what can I do for you today," Urahara remarked as Ichigo entered the shop.

"You know damn well, what you could do for me," Ichigo hotly replied.

"Well, if you don't tell me, how am I supposed to know?" Urahara coolly questioned.

"YOU need to tell me how I can get these idiots to listen to what I am saying, any idea, at all is ok!"

At this statement Urahara gave a short chuckle," Any idea, huh? Well, you could always invade the soul society again and force them to listen to you."

"This is not a joke, this is a serious matter!"

"I am being serious; you could go to the soul society and persuade them. I am sure you would just have to persuade one taicho and the others will follow suit. All you would have to do is promise to fight Kenpachi Zaraki and he would definitely help you." Urahara proclaimed with a slight smirk. "I could open the Senkaimon for you myself."

"Do it," Ichigo replied without a seconds delay.

"Well, then get out of your body, unless you plan on visiting the realm of the dead in your alive mortal body," Urahara responded. "Meet me in the basement when you are ready."

Minutes later Ichigo stood in the underground training area in his shihakusho waiting for the shop keeper to make his move. "Well, haven't I waited long enough?"

"Yare, Yare, calm down a little, you can't just open an illegal Senkaimon instantly. Seriously, you young people have absolutely no patience."

Ichigo was a little glad that Urahara had come up this new plan. If he had charged blindly into Hueco Mundo, he probably would not have made it back to Karakura town alive. Who knows how many Arrancar Aizen had created. Hell, he had nearly been killed by the seventh rank. At least with this he might be able to get some back up, like Zaraki.

Just as this though crossed Ichigo's mind the Senkaimon appeared in front of his eyes. The familiar wooden doors slid open to reveal a bright white light which hid anything that lay across the threshold. Though, Ichigo knew exactly what was on the other side, the Dangai precipice world. It was a hazardous place, filled with ooze, the Koryu, which trapped anything that touched it. There was also a cleaner, the Kototsu, which swept any trapped souls away.

Ichigo calmly passed through the gate, with his head held high. As soon as he crossed however, he felt a pressure behind him. He casually glanced behind and saw a solitary light, a light that struck fear into the deepest part of his heart. He had been told that the Kototsu was indestructible, so, his only option was to run. Ichigo immediately started sprinting. He ran as fast as he could, but as he reached the half-way point he could feel his legs start to groan and his lungs start to burn. His body had not yet healed from his latest excursions. The thought that this was for his friend propelled him gave him a short burst of maniac energy, but not even that lasted very long. The last thing he felt after being hit by the sweeper was the sensation of falling.

* * *

Two days later

Ichigo was very surprised when he opened his eyes and saw that he was lying in a bed. He was sure that he must have died; he knew that he had been hit by the sweeper. Yet, here he was, in someone's house lying on the bed wrapped in bandages. He took a moment to collect his thoughts. What had he been told about the sweeper? He could faintly remember Urahara saying that the sweeper was very dangerous and that the Dangai Precipice world worked on a different time scale. He did not have time to formulate any other ideas though because at the moment a teenage girl walked in.

"Ah, you're awake. You took a terribly nasty fall out there didn't you? Fell pretty far from the looks of the damage to our garden. One minute we have garden, the next, we have you in hole. You have been asleep for two days now. I am Amamiya Honoka." The teenager introduced herself.

"Where am I?" Ichigo managed to croak, his throat felt as dry as a desert.

"You are in District 39 **(1)**, Ochitsukanai Umi **(2)**, North Rukongai. I live here with my adoptive parents, who should be coming home soon. Also, what might your name be?" The girl answered as she he handed him some water.

Ichigo though about this for a moment, he had caused a lot of problems earlier in the year, she might kick him out if he told her his real name. The Gotei had covered up the fact that 3 of their taicho's had betrayed them, so his name might not be looked upon favorably. Feigning to have amnesia might be his best option," I don't know?"

"That's weird, maybe Mom or Dad might be able to help you, anyways, you should sleep, and regain your health." She then left the room.

Ichigo once again began collecting his thoughts; he had been here for two days, which did not bode well. Who knows what had happened in the real world by now. He also knew that he was in no condition to go anywhere; he could hardly move a finger with something aching. He also found it weird that Zangetsu was missing. The Zanpakuto was nowhere to be seen. Nor could he feel his inner hollow bugging him about being weak. This was turning out to be a very strange day indeed. He was also no longer wearing his shihakusho; instead he was wearing a plain white yukata. Was it possible that he had actually died, yet somehow returned to the soul society instead of going into limbo? No, he could not have died; he still had his memories, which almost all people lost upon entering the soul society. Anyways, he could not dwell on that now; he first had to figure out a solution to his current problem. As Ichigo resolved to do this, two more people walked through the door. Both smiled as they walked in. The woman was holding a small flask and the male was holding some kind of tube.

"Ah, Honoka told us you were awake so we came immediately. She also said that you don't remember anything, is that correct?" the male began.

"Sorry, it is true." Ichigo replied apologetically.

"No need to be sorry, it is actually quite natural to lose ones memories after dying. Only a handful of people remember any details of their living life. I am Amamiya Tsuili, and that is my husband Yuto. We run a small medicine shop here, so we have more than enough medicine to heal you," proclaimed the women. "Also, you should probably pick out a name for yourself so we know what to call you."

* * *

Later that day

The medicine that the couple had given really helped Ichigo out. In fact he was now able to walk around the area without too much pain. The family had been very surprised, though, to see him up and about. The man, Yuto, noted aloud that he must have a high pain tolerance because any normal man would still be in bed. Ichigo had smiled at that remark. Ichigo also felt quite antsy, he could not properly rest knowing that he should be talking to the Gotei 13 to get some kind of rescue operation for Orihime.

A sharp knock interrupted his thoughts, man; he really wasn't catching any breaks. He slowly got up from his bed and moved himself to the main are of the house. Much to his surprise, in the room was a person he knew, someone he knew fairly well. He was absolutely shocked to see this person. He resisted the urge to walk over and punch him upside his head. It was his father, Kurosaki Isshin.

His father did not look much different, maybe a little younger. Though Isshin felt different, from the way he carried himself, all the way to the clothes he wore. His father was wearing a shihakusho, with a fukutaicho arm band wrapped around his forearm. This left Ichigo a hell lot more confused than when he had gotten here. After Ichigo had finally regained his composure he listened in on the conversation taking place in front of him.

"Hello to all of you, I am Kurosaki Isshin, Fukutaicho of 13th Division. I was sent here to investigate a man falling from the sky; you would not know where to find him would you. Whoever this person is, they are going to be subjected to heavy amount of tests and questioning. I was told by my taicho to get information about this person." Isshin said all of this in a very straight voice, but his eyes and expression held a bit of mirth in them. "I was told by the villagers that this family would have the answer, since you are the local healers." Immediately after Isshin said this, his eyes lost all the mirth and his voice grew tired. "Truth be told, I have come to take this person to be interrogated by Gotei 13, but the last person they interrogated did not survive, and I would like to prevent meaningless death. This person did supposedly fall out of the sky, so maybe he died on impact and his body faded away like any other soul?"

At this point both the Amamiya family and Ichigo had their mouths to the floor. Finally Yuto-san replied," He did not survive?" However the statement came out as more of a question.

"My division has a philosophy, Fight to protect life and Fight to protect honor. In this case, I would like to protect life. So, did this person who fell from the sky survive the fall?"

"He did not survive," Ichigo interjected calmly. Seeing his father here had actually answered a lot of questions. He knew that the Dangai precipice world existed in a different time, so maybe the cleaner had sent him back in time. It also answered the question as to why he had such strong reiatsu and such an affinity to the job of a shinigami. Though it did not answer the question of why Zangetsu and his inner hollow had disappeared, that was a minor matter. Knowing that he was in the past relieved a lot of the pressure off of Ichigo, his friends had not been born yet so they were safe. Plus, he was in soul form so he shouldn't die of old age.

* * *

5 years later

It had been five years since Ichigo had landed in District 39. He was now going now going by the name of Amamiya Ichigo. Truthfully, Ichigo had not planned on staying in Ochitsukanai Umi this long. He had only planned on getting his feet underneath him, then going to join the Gotei 13. Over the years, though, they had become closer; it had come as a surprise to Ichigo when they had offered to take him in. After all, they barely knew him, they had countered with the argument that he barely knew himself. That wasn't true, but, he had supposedly lost his memories, so he had accepted their proposal.

Ichigo had also created a theory of how he had traveled back in time. Over the years he had learned as much as he could about the sweeper that roamed the Dangai. The rumor he had heard was that if a shinigami or soul was caught by it, it would spit the soul reaper out in a whole different point in time. Of course all of the information he had gotten was from a drunk shinigami, so he did not know how sound the theory actually was.

The night started out like any other with the family having dinner together, when Honoka said," I am thinking about enrolling in the Shino Academy."

This shocked the other 3 at the table," Why?" questioned Ichigo," What they do is very dangerous." Honoka was not the type of person who was a fighter; she was much more of a quite person. Though it was true she did have reiryoku, the entire family did, seeing as all of them required food.

"It is my decision, beside, I heard you get to go to world of the living. I am interested in what it looks like," Honoka replied defiantly. "So, don't try to stop me."

Ichigo's adoptive mother finally broke the silence that had followed," Ok, but on one condition."

"What is it?" came Honoka's reply.

Ichigo's adoptive father looked him and nodded, "If Ichigo goes with you."

"Nii-san, please come with me, I really want to do this," Honoka pleaded with Ichigo.

With the face she was giving, she in fact looked a lot like Yuzu and because of this fact, he could not refuse. Also, Honoka's idea had interested Ichigo, if he went to the world of the living he would be able to see exactly how far back he had traveled.

**Chapter 1 comes to a close. I was trying to pose Isshin as a goofy yet serious type of guy. That entire part was a little tough for me to write, so if anyone needs any clarification, either pm or tell me in a review and I will try to clarify anything. I am looking for a Beta for this story. Anything is fine in a review, I always want to improve. Now the big one, pairings, currently I do not plan on having any in mind, but if you readers want it, I am willing to take a look. I will NOT do Yaoi or Yuri. I am not against it; I just don't like to write it. Till next chapter. Also would I would not mind a beta. Dialogue is not my strength. A beta would really help.**

**-Wheel Then**

**(1)- I am aware there is no District 39 in the Canon, but I wanted to a place where it is middle class. All the districts in Canon so far are either top, like 1 (Junrinan), or slum, like 78(Inuzuri).**

**(2)-** **Ochitsukanai Umi is supposed to mean Unrestful Sea, I used Google Translate, so if it is wrong please tell me immediately and I will edit it. **


	2. Enrollment

**Chapter 2 of Teachings of the Past is up. Thank you to all who faved, followed, or reviewed.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

**Replies to reviews:**

**Hurader: I love this type of stories too!**

**Yoruichifan: Interesting pairing, I'll think about it.**

**SSJ3 Kyubi Gohan: Yeah, sorry about that, when I published that chapter, I still had not completely decided where exactly I wanted Ichigo to be. But now, I am sure.**

**Guest: Thanks**

Enrollment

Ichigo had promised to enroll into the shinigami academy with Honoka, but he was worried. In the past 5 years anytime that he had tried to access his inner world he had gotten no response. Not even the old technique of Jinzen had worked, but then again, he no longer had Zangetsu on his lap whenever he would try this. Nor had he heard from his inner hollow, it was almost as if he did not have one anymore. Right now Ichigo was at his weakest, at any other time his inner hollow would have taken advantage of that fact immediately. It was as if his mind was completely his own. At first he had felt relief; no longer would he have to deal with that incessant being trying to take over. As the years past though, he realized that with both Zangetsu and his inner hollow missing, he could no longer protect those around him. This was why he had agreed to join the Shino Academy. Now that the moment was at hand, though, he was worried he might not be able to pass the test. He had never been able to control his reiatsu very well before, and now that he could not even access his inner world, he was worried that he would not be able put out any reishi at all. His mind flashed back to the conversation he had before the two had left home, His adoptive father had pulled him aside.

_"Ichigo, you may not have been with our little family for long, but know that we have come to think of you as another son." The older man had stated._

_"Hai, thank you, you have treated me very well," Ichigo had replied._

_"If it is not too much to ask, I want you to watch out for your sister, she is very adventurous. The reason I want you to look out for her is because when she gazes at the horizon, she tends to forget to watchthe ground at her feet. So, if you please could?" his adoptive father had asked._

_At the time Ichigo had not really thought into the conversation and had quickly reassured the man with a quick," Of course I will."_

If only he had thought about the consequence of simple statement. What was he going to do if he did not even pass the exam? The two of them had traveled here to outer edges of the Seireitei without took much trouble. The only thing that they found tough was finding places to stay at night, but they had gotten through it all and reached their destination. Many people were milling outside the main doors, most of them nervously muttering to themselves.

Ichigo hailed the nearest person," What's going on here?"

The man looked at him funnily," You don't know? Isn't it quite obvious, any layman would be able to tell. It's the entrance test. So you sure you don't know?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be asking would I?" Ichigo replied irritatedly.

"I guess not," the man conceded," Everyone around here is nervous, this year there is a rumor going around; only the top 60 applicant will be accepted. But it is only a rumor."

This struck Ichigo as odd; the Gotei 13 needed all the fighters it could get, why were they restricting class sizes now? He quickly thanked the man and turned to Honoka who had turned as white as a sheet. He could see worry in the creases of her eyebrows.

"You should not worry too much, he did say it was just a rumor," Ichigo reassured her. "Besides you probably have enough to make it into the advanced class." She did not reply. The two of them then strode into the registration building.

"ALL SHINO ACADEMY APPLICANTS LINE UP AGAINST THAT WALL THERE, THOSE WHO HAVE NOT YET APLLIED LINE UP AT THIS DESK HERE TO GET YOUR FORMS." A voice yelled out at all of the people in the building. Once the two had filled out their forms and turned them in, they were handed a number, he was 78.

Just as he had gotten his number, another voice yelled 23. This was going to be a long wait he silently mused.

* * *

30 minutes later

Honoka had already gone in, he was next. Any worried feelings were gone; all replaced an immense feeling of boredom. There was nothing to do but twiddle ones thumbs. No one was in the mood to talk, so, when his number was he felt sense of relief.

He followed the practitioner into a small hall cordoned off with curtains to create 4 smaller areas. All of which were hidden by said curtains. He entered one of the smaller rooms was met with the sight of two shinigami. One was holding a bokken, a wooden katana, and the other was holding a small clipboard. The one holding the clipboard turned to him and asked," Name?"

"Amamiya, Ichigo"

"District?"

"39"

"Ah, from Ochitsukanai Umi, are you? I've been there a couple times, cheap sake there, nice women too, huh." The man with the bokken replied with a wink. Ichigo did not deign with a response, instead he just glared at the other man.

"Whoa, this kid's got some attitude, the Gotei 13 better watch out. The name is Saido Eikichiro** (1)**, second division. The man with the clipboard next to me is Onabara Gengoro, teacher of Class 1 at the academy."

Ichigo then realized exactly who the man with the bokken was, he was the man who had been sent to take Rukia back before Renji and Byakuya had come. He put that thought away and asked, "What is the entrance test?"

Onabara answered this question," It is quite simple; first we measure your potential. Once we have done that, take this paper test."

"How exactly are you going to measure my potential?" Ichigo asked confused.

"Now it is really easy, you don't have to do anything." Saido said. "Hold out your hands."

Ichigo did as he was asked. Onobara took out two strips of paper; one was a hazy blue and the other was a hazy red **(2)**. Onobara approved Ichigo and placed to two pieces of paper into Ichigo's hand. Ichigo was then told to clench them in his hands and to concentrate on the feeling in the palms of his hands. Ichigo did exactly that, after about 30 seconds, Saido approached him wearing gloves.

"Release the papers please."

To Ichigo's surprise both of the papers had turned completely white. The other two men in the room looked at him with a confused look. Ichigo then realized that what he had done was not normal. Saido then quickly took both strips from him and placed them into a bag. Onobara shoved a packet of paper into his hand and instructed him to finish his written test in another room and shooed him out of the room.

Later

Ichigo had found the written test to be a piece of cake. All of the questions on the exam were about the duties of the shinigami and about the goals of the participant. He would have laughed aloud if he had not been preoccupied with the reactions of Onobara and Saido.

Now, he and Honoka sat at an open air café near the building they had taken their test. The atmosphere had turned quite a bit. Now all the hopefuls stood chatting about how their test had gone. From the snippets of he had heard, his test was very odd. He had asked her about her results. She had told him that the two strips had taken on hues of each other colors. Then they had her practice with the bokken. His result truly had been odd. He was about to tell her about what had happened during his, but they were interrupted.

"You two over there," It was the man from earlier. "I apologize for my behavior earlier; I simply thought everyone already knew." The man said in a noble manner. "I am Kuchiki Sojun, who might you be."

Honoka opened her mouth in awe," K-k-kuchiki?"

"Yes, I am the next head to the Kuchiki clan, so, can I have an answer to my first question?"

Ichigo smirked, "I'm Amamiya Ichigo and this is my sister Honoka." The fact that he was a noble explained why the apology had not sound like one at all. He laughed a little inside; this was probably Byakuya's father. "If you are a Kuchiki, what are you doing taking a test to enter the academy. Surely there is a place on a squad for you."

"I was instructed by my father that I had to go through the academy," though he said this as if he was swallowing something nasty.

* * *

The Next Day

Results had been posted on the board outside the registration building. There were a total of 65 students on the list. The rumor of that only 60 students would be accepted had been proven false. Still, around 70 applicants had been rejected for various reasons. Ichigo, Honoka, and Sojun approached the boards. Sojun had become an acquaintance over that night when he found that Ichigo and Honoka had place to stay. He offered to take them to his temporary flat as a formal apology. He had refused any other answer saying "I will not owe you anything after this."

Ichigo scoured the list for his name. There were three columns behind each name. Each one represented a category. The first was practical, and the second was written. The last column held the total score. Ichigo had placed 39th. He had scored a 51 on the practical, which was a surprise seeing that he had never even taken the Zanjutsu portion. Though, unsurprisingly, he had scored a perfect 100 on the written portion. With his score, he had made the advanced class. As he looked at the results, he noticed that he had only gotten one point higher than the person ranked 36th. Sojun had topped the class with a total of 190 points. Honoka, though, had not done better than him. She had scored a total of 129, which entitled her to a place in the academy, but not in the advanced class.

Sojun had explained the system the night before. In past years, if the applicant had scored over a total 100 points, they were guaranteed entrance. If a person managed to score above 150, they were place into the advanced class. All those that did not make the cut sent away. If their name did not appear on the board, they had not made it. All they would know is that they had not made it; they would not be told where they could improve. It was a cutthroat system.

"ALL STUDENTS THAT HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED PLEASE HEAD OVER TO THE SCHOOL BUILDING IMMEDIATELY, NOTHING FURTHER." Came a loud voice.

"Let's go!," Honoka announced, her voice filled with happiness.

Later

The walk to the school building had not been bad, it did not even compare to the distance District 39 to the Seireitei. It was an old fashioned building, with faded gold plating on the roof. Many students wearing red and blue shinigami robes were milling around. Many looked over as the horde of the new students entered the giant gates. The students were then directed into a new hall, there were told to line up by class rank. Ichigo was the last student in the advanced class. One by one they approached by some teachers. The teachers were giving out uniforms and schedules among other things.

A teacher approached Ichigo, "Well, the headmaster wants to see you specially, so I don't have anything for you here. His office is just past those doors." The teacher pointed to wooden door. "Best be on your way, he does not like to be kept waiting."

Ichigo quickly turned around and walked toward the office. Ichigo was not sure what to think about this meeting. On one hand, he might finally get some answers, on the other, he might get grilled for answers. He opened the oak doors and strode in. The room was quite sparse, it held nothing but a two chairs and desk. On the other side of the desk sat a man he had not seen before. The man seemed to be lost in thought, he seemed to be looking at Ichigo, but his eyes were glazed over.

"Ahem, sir?"

The man jumped, "Ah, you must be Amamiya, Ichigo. I read your file, it's quite interesting. I am the headmaster here, I am Shiba, Kouichi**(3)**. Well, I have seen you now, your room number is 281, and you may go. Your belongings have been delivered there. Dismissed."

Ichigo hurriedly left the room, he was extremely confused. That conversation had gotten him absolutely nowhere. Any hopes he had before had been dashed and left in the dust. He slowly entered his new room, not knowing what to expect. He did not even know if he would have a roommate. He did not, the room had only one mattress. On the desk lay some papers, probably his schedule. One the bed lay a couple uniforms. This was not so bad. A knock at the door brought Ichigo out of his revere. He opened the door and revealed the face of a young Urahara, Kisuke.

"Hi."

**Fin. Chapter 2 of Teachings of the Past is done. Bit of a filler, sorry, but it needed to be there. Don't worry, the next chapter will have more. New thing I am starting, best review, gets a preview. So, hope you enjoyed this chapter. I will try to update by next Monday. Thank you for reading.**

**-Wheel Then**

**(1)- Saido Eikichiro was an anime only character, but I like him, so I threw him in there.**

**(2)- This is like the litmus paper test. Though a little different. If everything goes right the two will switch colors with to varying degrees, which measures potential. The litmus test switch colors when placed in acids or bases. See, I did learn something in 11****th**** grade Chemistry.**

**(3)- At this point I was going to put in a Taicho like Ukitake, like so many other stories have done, but then I realized that in the arc where Renji and the rest were at the academy, the student got really excited about a Taicho coming to visit. So, I came to a conclusion that the headmaster could not have been a Taicho.**


	3. Worry

**Hello all, Chapter 3 is done. Yeah, I know it is not Monday yet, but I will be busy tomorrow, so all of you get an update a day early! Thanks to all who Reviewed, Followed, Favorited. Huge thanks to my new Beta, Tenken Katenshi. Now on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

Worry

Shock was the only thing Ichigo's mind could register. He knew that he had travelled back a significant amount of time, but he never expected Urahara to be in front of him. Here was a man who had played a key part of making Ichigo who he was now. This was the man who had basically molded Ichigo into a shinigami. The man who, albeit unknowingly, had sent him into the past. Then again, with Urahara, who knew what his true intentions were? The Urahara in front of him was giving him a weird look. Ichigo realized that his shock must have been portrayed on his face, so he quickly regained composure.

"Hi, I am Urahara, Kisuke, first year. I live next to you in room 280. What's your name?"

"Amamiya, Ichigo. Nice to meet you, I am looking forward to working with you throughout the year."

Just then a woman approached from their left, "Kisuke, come on! Come help me unpack," she moaned. "I have too much stuff to deal with alone."

Kisuke turned to the woman," Can't you see I'm busy, do it yourself Yoruichi!"

"Oh, who is this cutie?" Ichigo blushed at this comment. "Cute AND innocent, I like him already," she chuckled.

"Ichigo let me introduce you to one of my oldest friends, Shihoin Yoruichi."

"Oh, come on, Kisuke, you know I don't like people calling me by my last name, call me Yoruichi," she said winking to Ichigo," And I'll call you Ichigo. Now let's go Kisuke, you are going to help me whether you like it or not." With that statement she grabbed Kisuke arm, dragging him away.

Ichigo shut his door as Kisuke was dragged away by the outspoken noble. He still had not completely come to terms with the fact that two of his teachers were going to school with him. He could still remember all of those lessons they had doled out on him. This was his chance to have some fun with his current situation.

Ichigo walked over to his desk, on it lay his schedule for the year.

**Welcome to your first year of Shinigami training. Practice and do well. Train and become a Taicho, Good luck! Days will be split into two sessions, Morning (MS) and Afternoon (AS). The rest of the time is for self-training.**

**Amamiya Ichigo, Week 1**

**Monday- MS Seminar, AS Reiatsu Control (Theory)**

**Tuesday- MS Zanjutsu(Theory), AS Hakuda(Theory)**

**Wednesday- MS Hohou (Theory), AS Kido (Theory)**

**Thursday- MS Jinzen(Theory), AS Jinzen(Practical)**

**Friday- MS Seminar, AS Free**

**As you can see, your schedule is filled with all theory as of now. As you go through each class, you will get a feel for how each art works. Then, on Friday, you can create your own schedule on how you wish to proceed in each category. **

Not a bad system, this way, he might not have to do Zanjutsu all over again. Even in Hohou, he was skilled enough. His only problem was that even though he had the knowledge, he could not seem to use any of it.

* * *

The Next Day

Ichigo did not wake up on time. He had planned on waking up a full hour before class began. However, it did not work out that way. When he woke up, he had only 5 minutes before the beginning of class. He cursed underneath his breath and literally sprinted all the way to the schoolyard and beyond that to the classroom. He reached with one minute to spare. He looked around he realized that not only was Sojun in his class, but so were both Kisuke and Yoruichi (the latter of which were horsing around, playfully shoving each other around while Sojun disdainfully looked on).

"Seriously Shihoin-san, is that any way a noble should act," complained the Kuchiki.

Yoruichi pointedly avoided the comment and turned to Ichigo," You made it! Nearly late on your first day, not the best first impression, huh?" she teased.

"Shut up," Ichigo replied crossly as he sat down next to the three.

The doors at the front of the class burst open. Through it entered, Onabara Gengoro. He stood at the front class and looked at each student with a critical eye. His gaze seemed to linger on Ichigo for a second longer than the rest. This did not puzzle Ichigo anymore, he was already resigned to the fact that something strange was going on with his body. He was already used to being singled out, so it did not faze him too much.

"Hello class, and congratulations on making in to the advanced class. I am sure all of you will make fine seated officers one day. As you may have noticed all of the classes this week are Theory. This is to make sure you are able to pursue what you desire. Now, on to today's lesson…"

The rest of the week did not fly by as Ichigo had hoped. He found most of the theory lessons immensely boring, an opinion shared by the rest of his friends. Over the week he had become fast friends with Sojun, Kisuke, and Yoruichi. The only two lessons he found even partially interesting were Kido and Hakuda. The only reason he thought they were interesting, though, was because he had never really tried to attempt them before. On the other hand, for Hohou and Zanjutsu, it was only basics which he had mastered many years ago…or will anyway.

Finally the day he had been waiting for had arrived, Thursday. He was eager to talk to Zangetsu for the first time in 5 years during the Jinzen Practical. Due to his anticipation, he could not even eat lunch. This earned him confused looks from friends, namely Honoka, who knew he was always hungry. Ichigo was to care to care about the looks he got. After lunch, the group had entered the hall, Jinzen practical's were held in a combined class since all shinigami used Zanpakuto. Each was given an Asuachi, they were told keep this them at all times, and to pour your soul into them whenever possible to try to achieve Shikai as early as possible. Then the lead instructor sat and motioned the rest to follow him. He then explained the easiest way to pour one's soul into an Asuachi, Jinzen. Ichigo had already stopped listening at this point in time. He was already deep into meditation, searching himself for the entrance to his inner world. He was hoping that now that he had a Zanpakuto on his lap that he might be able to enter it. He was proven wrong, no matter how hard he searched, he got no reply, just silence.

Ichigo reopened his eyes in a very irritable mood. What was wrong, he did not understand. He had fulfilled all of the requirements. So, WHY could he not access his inner world? As he came back to his senses, the lead instructor spoke again. "It is okay for you not succeed your first time. It may be the easiest technique, but it is not an easy technique."

He turned to Kisuke and queried," Any luck?"

"Nope, I got nowhere. Then again, it is only my first try." No one else in their small group had gotten anywhere either, not even Sojun, the top ranked student.

That night he pondered to himself, what if he truly was powerless now? What if those strips of paper turning white meant that he had potential but had lost it? If that happened, Ichigo would never be able to advance, hell, he probably would be expelled out of the academy. What if the Academy had only accepted him in order to observe a soul who had lost potential? What if he turned out like Zaraki, with no talent other than swinging a sword? At least Zaraki had an immense Reiatsu to help him out, Ichigo no longer even had that on his side. He slept with these thoughts weighing heavily on his mind.

* * *

The Next Day

Even when Ichigo awoke the next day, he was still not at peace. Immediately after he had awoken his thoughts from the previous day had flooded back to his mind immediately. Ichigo had not realized it himself, but he had fallen into a deep depression. The day was also Friday, which meant it was the day that they set their own schedules for the rest for the year. Ichigo strode into the class with no drive or emotion, his head hung low and his shoulders slouched. He sat down and laid his head on his desk with a slight sigh. He looked up only to see weird looks from his friends for the second time in as many days.

"What!?" he snapped at them irritated.

"Oh, nothing much, you're just a weird individual Ichigo," Yoruichi began," I mean you should've seen yourself yesterday, compared to today. Are you sure you're not a girl? Because your mood swings are crazy!" she teased.

"Leave me alone." Ichigo replied shortly.

For Ichigo, the rest of the day seemed to pass quickly. Not that he was enjoying it, he just never really got in the swing of things. He just simply sat and watched as the day passed. He vaguely remembered picking classes, three classes for Hakuda, two for kido, and one for Zanjutsu and Hohou each. That was all he knew, but he could not remember anything else, where the classes were or even what day they were. He could always check the paper he had received afterwards, but he couldn't have cared less right now. He hated the fact that he had so many questions, but not a single answer. That night he realized something big, something he had never really recognized before. He wanted power to protect, that was not something new to him. What was new was he realized that he had been using his struggle to gain more power as an excuse to validate himself. Whenever his power would seem insufficient he would always become depressed, like after Grimmjow had crushed him. Even then, though, he did have some power so he had never come to this realization before. Ichigo then understood, losing power did not mean a person was helpless- it simply meant that he just had to work twice as hard to regain it. This final thought pushed away any lingering doubt left in his mind; he was going to work harder than ever before, but this time he would also work smart, so that he would be able to reach a higher place than before. He also resolved to not use it as an excuse to validate his life, if he lost, it simply meant he still had room to improve, nothing else.

He thought back to his first training session with Urahara, about the time he had learned his first attack that involved any reishi at all. The attack had involved hardening his resolve and focusing his mind with striking. The true meaning of the attack finally came to him; it was not about the strike, but the confidence. Without confidence in his own abilities, he would never succeed.

When Monday arrived Ichigo went to class a whole new man. No matter the work load, he would take it in stride. As he sat in class, he glanced at his schedule which had lain abandoned in his room during his bout of depression.

**Monday- MS-Seminar, AS-Zanjutsu Practical**

**Tuesday-MS-Kido Theory, AS-Kido Practical**

**Wednesday-MS-Hakuda Theory, AS-Hohou Theory**

**Thursday-MS-Seminar, AS-Hakuda Practical**

**Friday-MS-Hakuda Practical, AS-Free**

It was not too bad, though he did wish that Hohou practical was offered to first years, but the teachers probably did not believe that the students were advanced enough yet. This might just turn out to be a good experience from him.

* * *

Later

Ichigo had been looking forward to Zanjutsu Practical all day. Sparring with someone was always a good way to relax in his opinion. The minute he had entered the class the instructor had pulled him aside. The instructor was a burly man, with a tough expression on his face.

"Amamiya-san, correct?"

Ichigo nodded in response.

"Well, I was told that due to extenuating circumstances, you were never given Zanjutsu examination, is that right?"

Again Ichigo nodded.

"Well, I am Sasakura, Ryou. I will be your teacher in Zanjutsu. I am just warning you now, if you fall behind, I am leaving you in the dust."

Ichigo almost laughed at this statement, if he tried, he could probably beat every student in his Zanjustsu class. Unlike the rest of the Zankensoki, Zanjutsu at this level did not require any output of reiryoku. The Sensei then turned on heel and strode away.

"Hello class, I won't go into any technicalities right now, this is a practical class, not a theory. So, if anyone is too afraid of getting hit, please leave NOW!" No body moved from their seats.

"Ok, now I can continue, I am Sasakura, Ryou. I am the former 8th seat of the 11th division. So, don't expect me to go easy on you. Any question?" No one spoke.

"Well, I will begin teaching you basics, first, I want you all to come up here and take a bokken."

"Why can't we just use our zanpakuto," asked an over eager boy in the back.

"Look, I would love for you guys to start slicing each other up immediately, but the headmaster says it's too _dangerous_." The sensei replied in a slightly annoyed voice.

The events that transpired after were not fun at all. Ichigo was disappointed, the instructor had said that he was not going to hold back, yet, they did nothing but swing around the bokken in practiced strokes. Hell, the entire class seemed to be bored, but the teacher was adamant on this process. It was truly foolish in Ichigo's opinion, if they encountered any hollow, a few strokes were not going to help one bit.

"All right class, now that you have that down, I will pair you off, so you can practice sparring."

Ichigo was paired off with a weedy boy with a confident look in his eye. He was staring at Ichigo with superior smirk on his visage. He walked toward Ichigo with an air of confidence enriched with his own ego. "So, this is the student who just barely got into the advanced class. A score of 151, so pathetic, I doubt you could even make it into seated position in the future. Not like me, I got a 186, second in the entire class. I bet you I will make captain one day. I am Yura, Taro. I don't even need to know your name, it won't be necessary.

This guy made Ichigo's blood boil. Just hearing him speak was enough to really get Ichigo annoyed, and the words that had exited the idiot's mouth were like insult upon injury. Each word grated upon Ichigo's eardrums. This guy was even worse than Byakuya.

"Shut up and spar," Ichigo replied calmly, reigning in his anger.

"Yura and Amamiya, up in front, NOW. Since you two decided to talk instead of spar. You get the pleasure of sparring in front of the whole class." The sensei smirked.

**Finished, Longest Chapter I have written page wise over all, a total of 6 pages on word. Hope you enjoyed it. Please give me an honest review; I am always looking to improve. Also, I am a little iffy on the part where Ichigo is depressed, so any feedback would be nice. See you guys next Monday. **

**-Wheel Then**

**-Thank you to Guest and Yoruichifan in this chapter for noticing my slip up, it is now fixed.**


	4. A Pulse

**AHHH, I am sorry for such a late update. I was sick among other things. Hope you forgive me. Thank you to all who Reviewed, Followed or Faved. I am the only one who has proofread this, but I wanted to get this out to you guys ASAP because of my tardiness. If there is anything wrong please inform me immediately. Hope you enjoy this. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

A Pulse

Ichigo mentally smiled, this could turn out to be fun. He would be able to toy with the jerk for as long as he wanted. Of course he could not show too much power, he did not want to stand out too much. It would not be good to attract any more the attention of that weird headmaster. Ichigo rose slowly and calmly strode to the middle of the area. Ichigo took an expert glace to his surroundings, true enough all the other students had temporarily stopped to watch. Other than the students, nothing else stood in the sparring area. Yura's demeanor had also changed, being in front of the class seemed to unbalance him. The grip on his bokken had tightened unnecessarily; also Yura's hand positioning was also far from orthodox. The proper way to handle such a weapon was to place the dominant hand on the end of the grip and the refining had up near the guard. Yura truly had been all talk, both of his hands had been near the bottom of the grip, he was nothing but a beginner.

"Bow" The fighters did as commanded.

"Ready? Begin," the sensei commanded.

Yura initiated the fight immediately. He dashed forward in a burst of speed and cleaved downward. The attack would have worked if Ichigo had still been in that position. Ichigo had leapt to his left as soon as the Yura had jumped forward though. Ichigo allowed a small smile to reach his face. This was going to fun, very fun indeed. Yura once again bounded towards Ichigo throwing slash after slash. Nothing hit Ichigo. Since, both of Yura's hands had been on the bottom of his grip the direction of each slash was straight. In this incomplete grip Yura had no control over his slashes once he began the strike. Since both of his hand touched on grip it was like fighting one handed since the inertia was applied to both hands in the same direction. The ideal grip, though, allowed the user a lot more control over the weapon. Since the hands were not connected it was much easier to change the direction mid slash by applying the refining hand in a different direction. **(1)**

Yura, the idiot was doing nothing but slashing his bokken crazily at Ichigo. Not only could Ichigo see so many holes within each strike but Yura's attacks were also getting slower, the kid was tiring out. Back step, sidestep, and parry were the only things Ichigo had done so far. His opponent's facial features were showing quite a bit of frustration. The boy had struck at Ichigo around 20 times so far and not a single shot had hit.

"STOP RUNNING!" Yura suddenly lowered his bokken and yelled. Ichigo smirked a little and jumped forward bringing his bokken up as he moved. Ichigo stopped his movement a foot away from Yura, his bokken pressed against the other boy's neck.

"Ok," whispered Ichigo coldly.

"Winner, Amamiya," the sensei announced. The expressions of the other 10 classmates had changed from ones of curiosity to ones of admiration.

"Yura, come see me after class," the sensei spoke again.

This was perfect for Ichigo, not only had Ichigo concealed his skill level in Zanjutsu, but Yura had also humiliated himself in front of the whole class. The expression on his face had also had also been priceless. Though his expression was showing pure anger, his eyes held a certain fear that Ichigo could see quite clearly. Yura would not try something on Ichigo alone again.

As Ichigo strode back to his dorm he felt different, his entire body seemed to be jittery. It was as if someone had given a shot of some energy drink. He was hyper aware of everything. His eyes did not miss a detail; it was like he had never left the battlefield.

"Calm down," Ichigo implored his mind. It was no use to be this aware in non-hostile situations; it would only serve to drain his energy. As he walked back he was met with mixed looks, rumors had already started to circulate Ichigo guessed. It could not be helped though; it was bound to happen after what had happened in the class. Once Ichigo returned to his room he drew his Asuachi and placed it on his lap, standard procedure for Jinzen. Maybe with his current state of hyper awareness he might notice something in his in that he had not before. He closed his eyes and sent his consciousness toward the weapon. The next thing he felt almost knocked him back to reality, a pulse. He slowly opened his eyes, the world was still completely dark, but unlike last time, he felt different. It was like a stream of warm had brushed over Ichigo. His Reiryoku had begun to return, though it was still a mere flicker, it was a start. Ichigo concluded that his fight with Yura had been like a kick start, fighting someone with a candle of reiatsu had helped him a lot. No matter how many fights he had gotten in Ochitsukanai Umi against criminals had never done anything for him.

Ichigo retained consciousness as a knock came at the door. "What the hell are you doing in there Ichigo? We don't have all day, you idiot," sounded the voice of Yoruichi.

Ichigo opened the door with a goofy smile on his face. At the moment he was extremely, he had not lost it after all. Though, this was not a major worry, it still felt good to have some conformation.

"What happened, Ichigo, we were waiting for a while?" Sojun Kuchiki spoke from the side.

"Not much, just trying Jinzen again."

"Ah, that would make sense, it does require quite a bit of concentration," Urahara piped.

"Now, WHY, would you do school work out of class. This is a time to have fun! Let's go!" Yoruichi exclaimed as she grabbed Ichigo's hand pulling him away. The next hour Ichigo's life was horrible in his perspective. It was an hour filled with absolute beatings. Yoruichi had suggested they practice some unarmed combat. She had taken her Hakuda class earlier that day, apparently it had been "_absolutely amazing" _in her words. Ichigo had hoped that he would be able to return the favor of Yoruichi's brutal training to her past self. That had proved to be complete wrong, she was still far better in unarmed combat even at this level. He and Urahara though were at about same level though, with Sojun ending up last. He did not seem too miffed about it though. Yoruichi seemed to be laughing her ass off watching the other three laying on the ground groaning in pain.

As Ichigo dragged himself home his mind still somewhat positive, he would finally get try Kido the next day.

* * *

The Next Day

Ichigo sat in his Kido theory his mind filled with boredom. The introductory session the week had at least held some demonstrations. This week though, it was nothing but the Sensei standing in front of the class droning on about something. Ichigo almost wished he had not gotten a full night's sleep, if he had not, he could have slept here. The instructor had started had started talking about the beginning of the demon arts. It was more of a history lesson, and was extremely tiresome. At the end of class Ichigo the only thing Ichigo had learned was that some guy who wasn't good at fighting wanted to fight from a distance, thus kido was born. He had learned nothing about the actual theory behind the demon arts. He hoped the practical went better.

Ichigo was gratified as soon as he entered the Kido practical room after lunch. There were dummies and targets set up in the area.

"Welcome, Welcome first year students, I am Mukida Sensei," announced a bubbly women. I will be your practical teacher this year, so do your best! Anyways, continuing with class, I bet that idiot who teaches theory taught nothing, am I correct?"

The class nodded there agreement.

"That old fool never changes, don't tell him I said this, but in this class, I will probably have do both teach you the theory and watch over your practical." The sensei spoke jovially. With those words, she launched into an explanation of kido. The short 10 minute that followed actual held a lot of merit, more than the two hour lecture in the morning before. Sojun who also had this class with him did not agree with Ichigo's view. According to Sojun "The enriched history is just as important as its idea of use." Though Ichigo was not surprised at their conflicting views, Sojun had after all come from a highly noble family.

The basics were fairly simple the lower the kido, the easier it was to use. If the incantation was added to the kido it would also be stronger than without one. The sensei had them memorize the incantations for Bakudo #9 and Hado #31. Ichigo recognized the second right away, it was one that Rukia really liked to use. The students were then told to step forward and try the hado on the dummies. Ichigo watched Sojun carefully, as Sojun had remarked the day before about knowing a little bit about kido.

"Hado Practice, begin" the sensei called out.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter or wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado number 31 Shakkaho!" Sojun stated.

As he spoke his palm began glowing and a small ball of light began on his palm. As he finished the incantation the red ball of pulsing energy flew forward and struck the target. The top half of the target was completely blown off. Ichigo was quite impressed, as was the rest of the class. Sojun returned and gave a small smirk to Ichigo. "Beat that," he said mischievously.

Ichigo apprehensively approached the platform. In the past, well future, he could not control his reiatsu worth shit. How was he going to do any better, he had only gained a little yesterday. He prepared his mind for the absolute worst, explosion in his own palm.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter or wings, ye who bears the name of-"was all Ichigo got out before his Shakkaho flew off of his palm and exploded 3 feet in front of him.

"AMAMIYA, stay after!"

**Sorry, smaller chapter. I will be back to my regular updating schedule by the next Monday. Ichigo can't do Kido, no surprise there; he is too much like Renji in that department, in my opinion. Hope it was okay. Also thank you to Guest and Yoruichifan for noticing my blunder last chapter, that has been fixed. Also Yoruichifan, I am sorry, I can't do the pairing, because I found out while trying to write this chapter, I can't, AT ALL, write romance. Sorry See next Monday.**

**-Wheel Then**

**(1)-My interpretation of natural katana grip, I may be wrong, I do not know if this is true, I do not have any experience wielding swords.**


	5. Close Quarters

**I'm back and on time, yeah. Thanks to all who faved, followed, or reviewed. Here is Chapter 5, hope you enjoy it. Also, huge thank to my beta Tenken Tenshika. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

Close Quarters

Ichigo was exhausted. Even the smallest kido took quite a bit of energy and after class he had been forced to repeat the same kido spells until the sensei got an idea of his level. He had managed to do up to Bakudo 8 Seki when he ran out of energy. It really was a pain to wait for his reiatsu to return. Still, even at this level Ichigo was content that he was able to do a little Kido; even if it did take quite a bit of his power. Ichigo was currently trudging towards the headmaster's office. He had been called in the middle of his Kido practice. Ichigo was grateful and apprehensive at the same time, the headmaster was the only person he had met so far that he had not understood. Ichigo guessed the story of his spar had finally reached the headmaster's office. He quickly rapped on the door.

"Come in," said a voice.

Ichigo entered with a neutral expression on his face. The room held only held two people: one was the headmaster and the other was the Zanjutsu Sensei, Sasakura.

"Ahh, Amamiya-san, we would like to discuss some details with you, please take a seat. We wish to discuss the results of your test and make a… small request." The headmaster began.

"Okay, what do you want?" Ichigo replied

"From, what I was told by Sasakura-sensei is that you seemed to have a knack for Zanjutsu. So, our request is for you to please spar with the sensei so that we may… understand your current capability."

"Hmmm… Only if you answer a question of mine first, then I will consider it."

"That seems fair, what is your request Amamiya-san?"

"I want to know why the heck my strips of paper were the only ones that turned white."

"Ah, an excellent question, but I'm afraid it's one I can't answer. Is there anything else you would like answered?"

"You can't answer it!" Ichigo screamed, rising to his feet and knocking over his chair in the process. He was beginning to lose his temper," You guys designed a test, but you won't share the results!? How does that make any sense?"

"Amamiya-san, you need to calm down NOW!" the Zanjutsu teacher cut in."

"Well, since you did not answer my question, I apologize but I cannot take your test," Ichigo's voice was dangerously low when he replied. In fact, on the inside he was absolutely furious, the designers and interpreters of the test would not, could not, answer his question. This was absolute blasphemy in his opinion. Not knowing the answer did not bother him too much, it was the fact that they knew why- yet wouldn't tell him that really ticked him off.

"If there is nothing else, I will be on my way. Good day to you both," Ichigo stated coldly as he walked out. It probably wasn't his best decision, walking out on the headmaster in such a way, but at the moment, he couldn't have cared less. From the headmaster's attitude, Ichigo was beginning to suspect that academy had only accepted him in order to observe him, like a lab rat. Well, he would show them he wasn't something they could just use and throw away. He wouldn't reveal anything to them and STILL be able to rise to the top.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Why, if it isn't little Amamiya. Look over here, it's the cheater," drawled the irritating voice of Yura Taro. He was flanked by a slightly older boy.

"What is it Yura? I don't have time for this right now," Ichigo growled in return.

"Oh, I just wanted to introduce you to my older brother, Shinsuke. He wants to have a few words with you. Oh yeah, and he's in his 5th year here," Yura smirked arrogantly.

"So, you can't deal with your own problem and run to your big brother? Pathetic," Ichigo replied, disgusted.

"Look," the older Yura began," don't take this the wrong way. Personally, I have no quarrel with you, but you humiliated my little brother, so I have to do something about it."

"It looks like both of you are idiots. You claim to have no quarrel with me, yet you want to fight. Most people would call that a quarrel." Ichigo sighed.

"No, I only want to fight you because you humiliated by brother."

"Noooo, he humiliated himself. So, if you want to solve this problem, teaching your brother the proper way to use a katana would be a good place to start." Ichigo explained, albeit a little a slower than was normal.

After Ichigo spoke these words, the older Yura stepped forward and spoke," Shut up! My brother is perfectly capable of wielding a katana! You, on the other hand, should watch your back! Anything like this happens again, well…" he trailed off.

Ichigo rolled his eyes in annoyance. At this point Ichigo was tired of the Yura brothers; he wanted nothing less than to punch the two of them in the face," Whatever, do as you please."

"Are you patronizing me!? That's it! You are going to regret this!" Shinsuke yelled as he drew his katana and lunged at Ichigo. The 'first year' sidestepped the attack with ease and laughed as the idiotic sempai flew past. Ichigo did not even need to look back to know that the older boy was probably shocked. However, when the look of arrogance that stood on Taro's face did not disappear, Ichigo grew a little concerned. He quickly whipped his head around to see exactly what had occurred. This time it was Ichigo turn to be shocked; the target of the attack had not been him.

"Well, Amamiya-san, I did some research before I came here. I found that you also had a little sister who joined the academy with you. So, I had one of my friends trick her into coming here. If you hadn't pissed me off I might not have even used this tactic," gloated the older boy.

If Ichigo had been mad before, now he was absolutely outraged. The older Yura had his katana to Honoka's neck. This guy was even more cowardly than his younger brother, using others as hostages to get what he wanted.

"BASTARD! No, ooooh no, bastard does not even begin to describe the type of pathetic, cowardly, piece of trash you are! Hell, I can't even think off a word strong enough to describe you!"

"Now, all you have to do is get on your knees and apologize to my brother. Also, it would help to admit he is better than you at everything," ordered the older Yura.

"I will never bow to you. You are lower than pond scum! Bakudo 1 Sai!" Ichigo yelled. Using this technique would force Yura to drop his weapon. Sure enough, the katana held to Honoka's neck clattered to the ground. "Honoka, get out of here," Ichigo yelled. He did not want her to see what he would do to Shinsuke if the boy managed to break the kido.

"Hmph, you think a Bakudo this low will keep me on the ground for long?" scoffed the boy on the ground as he struggled against the kido. "I am a fifth year student, there is no way a weak first year can get the better of me!" though at this point his voice sounded a lot more strained.

Ichigo picked up the boys dropped katana and menacingly tossed to the writhing body of Shinsuke. "Break the kido if you can, then face like me a man, not a bug." Ichigo smiled manically. Before he had cast the kido, he had felt his reiatsu beat; his anger at the Yura brothers and his will to protect Honoka had given him slight burst of reiryoku. This burst had allowed him to cast a much stronger kido than the loudmouthed 5th year could handle.

"Next time, well…" Ichigo whispered to the dumbstruck younger Yura as he passed. Ichigo knew that this was a pretty thin threat, just casting this Bakudo on Shinsuke had left him tired, but Taro did not need to know that.

* * *

Two days later:

Ichigo awoke refreshed, the day before had been like a breath of fresh air. Apparently none of the sensei's had any problem with what had happened because he had not been called to the headmaster's office for a misdemeanor. An added bonus was that whenever he saw Taro, he would vanish as if he was never there to begin with. Even the rumors, which normally annoyed him, that had shot across the school amused him too much to be pissed. As rumors always did, the real story had been distorted a lot. The most outlandish one he had heard so far was that he had miraculously attained shikai and had released it. Ichigo had played his strength off by saying that he had only seemed strong because his opponent had been so weak. This not only hid his strength, but it also sent a very strong message to the Yura brothers, Ichigo was not a person they could mess with at will.

He was also looking forward to his first Hakuda practical session. He had heard from Yoruichi that it was a lot of hand to hand combat. Ichigo was expecting to see practice dummies spread across the floor, however, when he entered the room, he found none. Instead, the entire class area was an empty floor adorned with peculiar rings drawn on the ground.

"Welcome all, to Hakuda Practical; this will be a most enjoyable class to all who enjoy getting up close and bashing other people's faces in," a high voice announced to the crowd. The man who stood at the head of the class looked nothing like his voice had sounded. The man was about 6ft tall and muscular with scars running the length of his face and arms. The entire class shared a look of surprise; they had been expecting his voice to low and guttural, not high and spry.

Seeing the faces in crowd the man started laughing, it was not a high laugh though, it was more of a bellowing laughter, which once more threw the students into confusion. Another voice joined in to the laughter as a woman walked out from behind from the man.

"Oh, you should have seen your own faces when you though my voice was his, they were hilarious! Anyways, I am Hitose Yasu and this is Minamo Takehi. We will both be teaching this class. This will not be like most of your other practical classes. In this class, you will be utilizing the skills we teach immediately in combat." Hitose sensei introduced.

"As my longwinded partner spoke, you guys will be fighting each other, not dummies." The other sensei summarized gruffly.

"I was just about to say that," Hitose sensei complained," Anyways, we will be teaching you unarmed combat beginning with martial arts. You will learn how to fight when weaponless; who knows some off you might end up preferring it and join the onmitsukido who use it expressly. You first years are very lucky to have us as your instructors; both of us have been to the living world and learned many, if not most of their techniques. I am a master of the martial arts in the styles of Japanese Karate and Korean Taekwondo. My partner is a master in the styles of Chinese Wing Chun and the Indian Shastravidya. Both of us are also very adept at countless other forms as well. For now, split into two groups and choose one of us to begin your lesson." The sensei finished with a long breath.

Ichigo was quite surprised; he had never expected the senseis to have travelled to the world of the living to learn unarmed combat. He had assumed that the soul society had created their own forms. Ichigo already knew a lot Karate and had learned a bit of Taekwondo, so decided to attend Minamo sensei's group first. The male sensei had attained mastery in two styles of martial arts that Ichigo had never heard of before.

"So, I will begin with explaining Varma Kalai," the sensei spoke once a group had congregated around him. "Shastravidya is not a martial art, but is a name for the fighting arts originating from that area. As a result, it is nearly impossible to attain mastery over each branch. I will only be teaching its weaponless forms, such as Varma Kalai. I will not be going into any of the armed combat styles," explained the sensei. "Varma Kalai literally translates to 'The Art of Vital Points', with mastery of this art it is possible to kill or disable a foe with one blow to the correct point on the body. "Wing Chun on the other hand is a more physical art dealing with grappling and dealing strikes at a much closer range. Under normal circumstances, we would never be teaching you these because it would not be necessary against hollows, but with the looming situation in the world of the living, these might come in handy. Now please pick a partner and I will begin…"**(1)**

* * *

Later:

Hakuda practical had truly been a thrilling class, neither of the sensei's had taught any of the lethal techniques, but had taught a lot of the history and implementation of each art. The students who had held no interest or aptitude in the class had simply sat aside and had done nothing. Yura had been one of those students. He had proclaimed quite early on that such he had no interest in such a stupid way to fight, claiming that since Shinigamis have zanpakuto's such ways of fighting were obsolete. Ichigo was pretty sure he was just afraid of getting his pride broken by someone again. Ichigo knew that his zanpakuto, Zangetsu, was a melee type. So, becoming a master in Hakuda would accent that fact very well. If he somehow lost Zangetsu during a fight, since he would be close to his opponent, he would be able to continue his assault without delay.

Anyways, Ichigo never knew that there was so much thought that went into martial arts, even when he had been taught Karate at his old dojo, he had simply been taught kata's. Here, he was taught each facet of the technique with a thorough explanation. He did understand why his earlier training had been so mindless, in the Japan he lived in; martial arts had been reorganized, almost like a sport. Here, the motive of the Gotei 13 was to fight to protect lives, so the depth of the teaching was understandably elevated.

As he sat in his room he pondered upon some off the words that Minamo-sensei had spoken. The part that had really struck him was how the teacher had said that they would not normally teach them these ways of fighting. Later Hitose-sensei had also uttered something about these being special circumstances. Ichigo wished that he had gotten some more details about Soul Society history out of Rukia. If he had done that, he might have been able to figure out exactly what this looming situation was. There was no use in worrying too much about it though, Soul Society still existed in Ichigo's time and so, the shinigami must have either won or avoided the situation all together.

He was just about to take a nap when he heard a large boom. Ichigo shot out of bed and dashed over to Kisuke's room, his mind prepared for it to be anything. The door to the room was already open, but he couldn't see anything through the black smoke coming from the room. "Kisuke! Are you okay!?" he yelled into the smoke screen.

"Yeah, everything's just dandy," coughed Kisuke's voice. "Yoruichi, I told you not add that chemical, now look what you did." He complained almost immediately after answering.

"Ha-ha, that's why I did it Kisuke. You should know better by now. If you tell me not to do it, I will end up doing exactly that," sounded Yoruichi's jubilant voice. Ichigo warily entered the room, not sure if it was completely safe yet. The smoke seemed to be dissipating but who knew what the smoke was made off. As the smoke thinned out, he could see the soot blackened faces of a pissed Kisuke and a triumphant Yoruichi.

"So, what exactly happened here?" Ichigo guardedly asked.

"Oh, nothing much, except Yoruichi coming in here to trouble me while I was working." Kisuke answered. "You know, just because you only have be here for two years does not mean you can come trouble me the entire time, I still have to go through the whole curriculum." He complained to the Shihoin.

"Aww Kisuke, do you really hate me that much?" fake pouted Yoruichi. "I came here to spend at least a little time with you and you just push me away," Yoruichi stated continuing her façade.

"The last time I checked, you only came here to unlock your Shikai," Kisuke grumbled knowingly.

By this point in the conversation Ichigo was intrigued," Why do you only have to be here for 2 years Yoruici?"

"Oh, as you know, I am a noble- even if I don't act like one. I have been receiving training for a long time, so none of this is really necessary for me. I was ordered to come here to provide a calm atmosphere while I focus on attaining shikai. It is the same for the Kuckiki family- just ask Sojun. I am so close to entering my inner world too," explained Yoruichi.

"It's so unfair," complained Kisuke, "I received some training too but since my name is not Shihoin, I have to either go the full 6 years, or try to pass each test early. I am not too keen on being here for 6 years though, that is why I was trying to get a head start in here." He concluded.

**Finished. Long chapter, just over 3000 words, looks like both of the Yura brothers are absolute idiots. Seriously, I wonder how that boy became a 5****th**** year at all. A free 20 points to whoever guesses what the "situation" is first. Don't be afraid to tell me if I missed something or you have question See you all next Monday.**

**-Wheel Then**

**(1)- All of the description of the martial arts are from Wikipedia. Though, these arts, can be extremely brutal, and should only be used for self-defense. For those who want to, search on YouTube "Ip man vs 10 black belts" It is a fine example, though, I warn you, it is NOT for the weak hearted. If you love martial arts fights though, it is an awesome display. It sends shivers down my spine whenever I see it.**


	6. Encounters

**Hey all Chapter 6 is now ready to be read, hope you all enjoy it. Thank you to all who followed, faved or reviewed. Thanks again to my Beta Tenken Tenshika. At first I thought I wasn't going to be able to update today due to some circumstance, but turns out I can, woohoo.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

Encounters

Ichigo was delighted, from what he had heard from Kisuke he could be out of this place within two years! After Ichigo had voiced his interest in the idea, Kisuke had explained to him that all he had to do was pass each year's exam. If he could do that he would not have to worry about people like the headmaster probing around. Ever since he had fought with the Yura siblings his power had grown. Even now he could feel reiryoku pulsing through his body, like a looping stream. Because of this, Ichigo understood something: his first fight with Yura truly had been a kick start. Since then his reiryoku had been trickling back to him. The only thing he did not like about it was how slow it was returning. Right now he wasn't even half as powerful as he had been when Rukia had first given him her powers. If he could get back to that level, he might be able to graduate and join Gotei 13 early. Though, there was one problem with that plan. If he did manage to graduate from the academy, then his abilities would be showcased to the world. If his abilities were showcased to the world, then the current Aizen could take interest in him. Ichigo could not afford to be hypnotized.

Lost in thought, he wandered aimless through the halls when all of a sudden he came upon a peculiar door. It stood about ten feet tall and held no other color besides red. Though, upon further examination he noticed that although it held no other color, it was beautifully carved with etchings of dragons and tigers. It was not a door he had seen before. He considered leaving it and walking away, but his curiosity got the better of him. He opened the door just a crack and peeped inside. The area inside was not well lit. It was a small room and it seemed to contain nothing but a long oval table with chairs circling it.

"Well, are you just going to stand there forever?" sounded a voice.

Ichigo whipped his being around to look at who had discovered him. But, even as he turned his head, he could see no one.

"Really, can you not even hide your reiatsu when you're trying to sneak somewhere?" I can't believe she thought you had potential," Snorted the same voice.

"Who are you? Where are you? I demand to know!" Ichigo shouted his voice tinted in both anger and confusion.

"Oh, just come in, and close the door behind you."

Ichigo complied warily; he did not know who this person was, or what they wanted from him. All he knew was that whoever it was- they were able to conceal themselves from his sight. As he shut the door, the already dim lights went out. "Find me," Ordered the voice.

"Just what the hell is going on?! How the heck am I supposed to 'find' you, if I can't SEE anything?!" Ichigo questioned, an idea forming in his head.

"Figure it out."

"Come on, this is sooo not fair," Ichigo did not like playing the part of a whiny idiot, but if his plan was going to work, well he did not really have a choice.

"Quit your whining! You have no idea of what's going on here, do you? I guess she was wrong about you; you are nothing but a whinny, spo-hmmm,"

"Found you." Ichigo plainly stated. His plan to keep the person talking had worked. All he had to do was to follow the voice. The lights came back on almost immediately. The person who stood in front of Ichigo was not someone he recognized, but looked quite familiar. The woman was about a foot shorter than him, slender figure and black hair to her waist. "Who are you?"

"I am allowed to tell you who I am. I am Ni Fon, of the Fon clan. Shihoin-sama, can you please explain what's going on to him? You can probably do it better than I can," she spoke disdainfully to a cat which had just pawed up.

"Aww, and I thought I had you that time, too." spoke Yoruichi's male voice as she began to transform.

Ichigo didn't really know how to react, he already knew about Yoruichi's werecat abilities. However, it would be suspicious if he did not react at all. In the end, Ichigo did not need to worry about reactions at all, because once Yoruichi had transformed, his entire face turned red. Ichigo had completely forgotten that when Yoruichi transformed back into human form, she was naked.

Yoruichi spoke, seeing Ichigo's red face," I completely shocked you, didn't I? He-he, but I can't help it! Seeing people freak out is hillarious! Everyone just looks like an idiot. Ohhhh, you should have seen Kisuke's face when I first transformed in front of him! HA-HA!" she heartily laughed.

As Yoruichi spoke, Ichigo's face was turning pinker and pinker by the second, "PUT ON SOME DAMN CLOTHES!" he yelled, looking away.

"Ah, forgot, sorry." The werecat apologized in an unapologetic manner. "You really are innocent aren't you?" She added with a laugh.

"Now, will someone please explain to me, what exactly is going on around here?"

"Yeah, I can, have some patience. You were tested to see if you are worthy to join the Onmitsukido. See, the Onmitsukido operates differently from the rest of the Gotei 13."

"That was a test?" Ichigo asked in disbelief.

"Please, that was just a little gag I like to play. Anyways, as I was saying the Onmitsukido works a little different than the rest of the Gotei 13. We look for possible recruits during their first year. Of course all of this is a secret. Even this room is hidden with an altered form of the Bakudo 26, Kyoka.

"Why not just wait until they graduate and recruit those people?" Ichigo questioned.

"If we did that, all of their identities would be public, Onmitsukido operatives are kept complete secret, only top officer's names are known to the public."

"Okay. What are the benefits in joining?"

"Remember talking earlier about leaving the School in 2 years. Well, that is almost correct, once you finish your basic operations training; you will be put into the field immediately."

This idea interested Ichigo, "One more question, and based on your answer I may have another. How do you pull people out of the academy? Wouldn't the identities of each operative be revealed if someone happened to take a look at a list of all the people who left the academy early?"

"Not at all, we have other ways of keeping such things secret." Yoruichi replied sneakily.

"Okay, then my second question is this: what is my test?" Ichigo eagerly asked. This could be a perfect option. If he opted for this route, he could leave this school quickly without Aizen ever realizing who he was.

"That is the best part," she smiled, "you already took it!"

"Huh?" was Ichigo's only response.

"What you probably did not notice was that this entire week Onmitsukido operatives have been scouring the Academy in secret for possible recruits. They take notes on every student to see if they are compatible with our standards. Then, we make a final psychological assessment to see if they really willing to join the Onmitsukido."

"What happens to them if they don't want to join after you reveal your scheme to them?" Ichigo asked, curious.

"He-he, who knows?" Yoruichi spoke mysteriously.

"I guess I don't really mind. I'll join you." Ichigo agreed, suddenly feeling like there really wasn't any other option available.

"Oh, one last thing Ichigo! If anyone finds out about this it will result in termination," she smiled sinisterly at this point, "of your contract," she finished.

* * *

The Next Day

It was a Sunday; Ichigo had been planning on sleeping in. That plan went out the window when he was abruptly awoken by a certain black furred cat. "Ichigo, wake up, it's time to start your training." Yoruichi crowed.

So, Ichigo found himself running for his life on what was supposed to be a peaceful Sunday morning. Yoruichi had brought him to the familiar training ground, proclaiming it to be the ideal place for his training. He was surprised to see that he was not the only student there. However, he was the only one to be newly recruited. Kisuke and Yoruichi were also present; however, Ichigo did not count them as new recruits since they already had some training. He was not really surprised to see Kisuke- he knew that the two had been friends for a long time.

What was surprising to him were the identities of the sensei's who were going to train them. It was none other than his Hakuda practical instructors, Hitose-Sensei and Minamo-Sensei.

"Ah, Amamiya-san was it, I see you have agreed to become clay," spoke the male sensei.

"Clay?"

"Yes, Clay, 'cause now we are going to be molding you to our own interest. HAHA," he guffawed. "Now let's play a game, only one rule, dodge." The sensei spoke as he struck at Ichigo. This was absolutely crazy in Ichigo's mind, the old man wasn't holding back. Each strike resulted in the changing of the landscape. Ichigo did not even have enough time to counter attack; it took all of his concentration to dodge each strike. When one of the punches finally connected Ichigo was sent flying, his mind only feeling one thing, immense pain.

"You did well," the other sensei spoke," You lasted 2 minutes and 27 seconds, most new recruits don't last a minute. Plus when you realized you could not dodge that punch you turned your body as to minimize the overall damage. You stood up the expectations. Now, new game, really simple, all you have to do is land a hit on me."

Ichigo wasted no time talking, he leaped forward- hoping to catch the sensei off guard. It did not work, by the time his fist had reached her position, she was gone. Ichigo threw punch after punch, kick after kick, none reached his opponent. He tried everything he knew, from altering his speed to changing his style mid-fight. However, after about five minutes of hitting nothing but air, the adrenaline rush he had gotten started to wear off. His entire body began complaining in pain.

"At your limit I see. I guess you probably be able to go longer if you had not just been training with Takehi over there." The female observed. "Enough now go rest in that hot spring. You will feel better afterward."

Ichigo sank into his bed like a rock in water that night. There was no other work than exhausted that could describe his current condition. For the rest of the day the two senseis subjected him to ruthless exercises in the name of training. He now understood why it Onmitsukido students left the Academy so early. The regimen that he was going to put through was going to be like 6 years compressed into two. Ichigo had also found out that when Yoruichi had said that he could not tell anyone, she meant anyone. Apparently only the Soutaicho was the only one not in the Onmitsukido who knew of this policy, not even the headmaster of the Shinigami Academy was aware of it.

* * *

Three Months later

In the past three months Ichigo had grown, both in power and in mind. His reiryoku had increased immensely. Luckily, due to his weekly training for the Onmitsukido, he knew exactly how to mask it. Stealth was the number one priority, so it had been the first thing he had been taught. All of his other skills had advanced nicely as well; he could even cast kido without it blowing up in his face every time. His best guess was that being able to control his reiatsu had a lot to do with it. He was also fairly skilled in the art of unarmed combat, but then again he always did have a good aptitude for fighting. The only skill he had not really put any effort into improving was his Zanjutsu. Truthfully, he would not have minded going out and sparing for a little while. However, he never had any time between classes, homework, and relearning Hohou. So, he was quite surprised when Yoruichi came and told him that he had the rest of the week off. At first he was grateful then almost immediately he grew suspicious. For three months he had been trained day in and day out. So, what was so special about this week? His thoughts were broken by a growing commotion in the courtyard. Students were gathering in the main area like moths to a light. Ichigo walked over to see what it was about. When he arrived he was confused, it was just a couple students of sparing with each other.

"What's going on?" he asked the person next to him.

"Not sure, apparently the two of them had some sort of disagreement." The boy answered back.

"So, why is everyone so interested?" Ichigo asked, disagreements between students were not exactly rare.

"Well, the rumor has it that the one on the right has achieved his shikai." The boy excitedly proclaimed.

The two in the middle were clashing their katanas pretty furiously, each contact threw a series of sparks across the area. This was no spar, the level of concentration in each of their expressions betrayed their seriousness. This was a fight. All of a sudden, the reiatsu of the first student spiked, throwing everyone in the vicinity to their knees. Ichigo knew that remaining standing would only serve to arouse suspicion on him, so he too followed suit.

"The battle is now OVER!" the student yelled, " Behold my power. Flow Mizu no Chikara!" **(1)**

However, before he could release any other ability his blade shattered. A man clad in a flowery pink coat was standing beside the student. "Yare, yare, last time I visited this place, I am pretty sure using shikai wasn't allowed in spars. Now, normally I wouldn't really care too much, but there are some fine ladies here. I gotta look a little cool, huh?" The man was none other than the captain of the 8th division, Kyoraku Shunsui. The student looked absolutely crestfallen, not only had his shikai been shattered so quickly, but now he was being told off by a captain. Ichigo would have felt sorry for the kid had he not deserved it.

"Just WHAT do you think you're doing _taicho_?!" came the very annoyed voice of one Lisa Yadomaru.

"Ah, Lisa-chan, I was just, you know, um, taking a walk..." the taicho spoke unconfidently.

"We have a meeting with the headmaster. We don't have time to sort squabbles between students." Her tone was that of an adult scolding a child. At this point in the conversation most of the students were looking upon the pair in wonder. The fukutaicho was admonishing her taicho, he was supposed to be her superior!"

**Done, hope you guys liked that. I had a little bit of a time skip within the chapter. If I missed anything please tell me. Also, I always pictured the Onmitsukido as a type of CIA or MI6 for the Soul Society which is why I have it being so secretive with recruiting. So, see you all next Monday.**

**-Wheel Then**

**(1)- Water Force**


	7. Proficiency

**Hello, I'm back from my long absence. I apologize for disappearing so suddenly. Also this chapter is longer than my usual ones. Thank you to all to faved, followed, and reviewed. Chapter 7 is ready to be read. Hope you all enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

Proficiency

The area was abuzz with chatter between the students. Most dealt with why a taicho had come to the school without the student body hearing about it. Normally the students were informed weeks before any high profile visitors attended, such as a taicho. Especially such a famous one, the 8th division captain was known for being one of oldest and most powerful captains. He had attended the academy when Yamamoto-Soutaicho was still teaching. So, returning to the academy was a pretty big deal.

Due to Ichigo's new capabilities he also recognized something the majority of academy students had not sensed, both Yadomaru fukutaicho and Kyoraku taicho had been masking their reiatsu beyond the normal level. Being at such a high level already required them to restrict their output, but the two of them were putting out so little that if Kyoraku had not shown himself, no one would have even noticed that pair was present. This coupled with Yadomaru's reaction to Kyoraku's interference begged the idea that no one was supposed to find out that the pair had come to the academy. This could not be coincidence, a captain secretly visiting and the Onmitsukido suspending training for a week. Ichigo was not going to leave this alone; he was going to find out what this was all about. He was going use this week off to his advantage.

So, full of confidence he set out in the direction of the headmaster's office. Ichigo figured that if he masked his reiatsu enough, he should be able to hear snippets of their conversation. His only problem would the any students or teachers passing by. He was strong enough now to cast a Bakudo 26 Kyoka; one that would fool any student. It would not be able to trick a teacher. As he walked in thought an idea snuck into his mind. If he recalled correctly, just last week the headmaster's office had been trashed by some sake filled 6th years. It had been big news at the time; they had done quite a bit of damage. Ichigo himself had seen the state that the office had been in after it had been vandalized. The headmaster's office was in the older part of the building so the drunken idiots had easily holed up the wood walls, and smashed many windows and floorboards. If the repairs were still going on, he might be able to hear the conversation that was occurring simply by sitting near the building. He would not even have to cast any Kido to hide himself; he would simply have to look like he was occupied in something else. In the end he grabbed a random textbook from the library and hurried to the spot.

He sighed as he approached the building. The holes had been completely fixed. Then he noticed something, though the windows had been replaced, the walls had only been patched with straw. He situated himself under a tree near the building. He carefully placed himself within hearing distance, but out of the line of sight. It was the perfect setup. The conversation inside, due to the straw and Ichigo not wanting to put his ear against the scratchy substance, was muffled and faint, but Ichigo could make out snippets.

At the present the headmaster was speaking, "You don't … stand it… school isn't…"

"Order… Yama-jii… immediate…like…it's the best…" replied Kyoraku.

"No… students… dangerous… allow that… order…nothing" replied the sensei

"Matter… choice… safe…back." The fukutaicho said. Ichigo inched a little closer to the patched wall. At this point Ichigo was getting really tired of hearing partial words; it was only confusing him more.

"The living…is… unsafe, the latest reports show that quincies-, "the headmaster broke off.

"-," Yadomaru Lisa murmured something Ichigo could not hear, he barely caught the quiet thrum of her voice. Then out of nowhere, the window swung outward. Yadomaru was leaning out and looking straight at him. "It seems we have a visitor," she spoke disapprovingly. He had been too wrapped up in his curiosity to notice that he was no longer masking his reiatsu. He had not let it completely out, it had just returned to the level that Ichigo normally kept it at. He had been so eager to hear the conversation that he had not even noticed. He quickly calmed his beating heart. He had already been noticed, there was no point in running. That would only serve to make him look guiltier. His only hope was to try and play it off like it was nothing.

Ichigo looked up from his book, "Who, me?" putting a confused expression on his face.

"Yes, you, what do you think you're doing?"

"Oh, not much, just sitting in the shade and studying," he replied, holding up his book as proof. Ichigo was in fact trying his hardest no remain nonchalant and not let his true emotion on his face.

Kyoraku laughed softly," Quite a book you have 'Strike with Defense; Techniques of High Bakudo'. The belt on your Hakama clearly shows that you are a 1st year. Why are you studying such a high level book?"

This was bad, no, it was horrible. Since he was receiving training from the Onmitsukido, the book wasn't too advanced for him. However, for any normal first year, it was not something that would be in their repertoire. Ichigo had hurriedly chosen something that he would be normally be studying.

"Well?" the headmaster looked at him curiously.

"Uh, um, you know, well uh," Ichigo's mind was racing to come up with anything. Ishida had always been better at making things up on the spot; it definitely was not Ichigo's specialty. "I was just checking it out. My Kido practical lesson is fun, so I was thinking of going into the Kido corps after graduation." It wasn't the best excuse, but it was the first thing that had come to his mind. "Anyways, it looks like I am not welcome to sit here, so I will be on my way. Good bye." With that statement Ichigo began walking as fast as he could in the other direction.

Ichigo sighed as he sank into his bed after reaching his room. His operation had basically failed and getting caught at the end could have some unneeded repercussions. It irked him that the only thing he had ascertained was that the soul society was having problems with the quincies. That was nothing new, he and Ishida served as perfect example, always arguing. The thing that struck him as odd was how the headmaster had been almost been arguing with the taicho. Kyoraku had also mentioned the Soutaicho, which also seemed peculiar.

Ichigo was also a little worried about what could happen to him. His orange hair did make him stick out in a crowd. Kyoraku had also been able to figure out that he was a first year, plus Ichigo was pretty sure that he wasn't the headmaster's favorite person.

* * *

Next Day

Ichigo was abruptly awoken the next day from a loud bang on his door.

"Get up, I have something to tell you!" a loud voice yelled from behind his door. Ichigo was still to groggy to recognize the identity of the person yelling.

"Hurry up will you!" the voice commanded. It was too high to be Kisuke's or Sojun's but also not annoying enough to be Yoruichi's. Besides if it had been Yoruichi, she wouldn't have bothered with knocking. She would have just pounced on him from the window. That only left one option, Honoka.

Ichigo slowly rose and shambled over to the door. His deduction had been on the mark, it was her. She stood in the hall, her eyes shining like little light bulbs.

"Well, aren't you going to invite us in?" she spoke. Ichigo peered behind his sister; there stood Honoka's friend, Yui.

"Yeah, you might as well, see as you have already woken me up." Ichigo said as he moved aside.

"So, what's so great that I just had to know," he spoke laying the sarcasm thick.

"Well, if you are nice, I might just tell you," she harrumphed.

"Fine, fine, just tell me already,"

"Well, it's just a rumor, but, we could fulfill our dreams if it's true."

"What do you mean by our dreams?"

"Well, Yui has an older sister in the 8th Division, and she told Yui that a select amount of first years get to go to the living word this year."

"Really, and you those were her exact words?," Ichigo spoke critically; he wasn't ready to jump in head first without proof.

"I didn't, but Yui; tell him what your sister said!" She exclaimed, turning to the other girl in the room.

"Well, she didn't say that exactly," she mumbled evidently embarrassed from being put on the spot.

"It implies that in so many ways, it really does!." Honoka confidently said, but to Ichigo it was almost as if she was trying to persuade herself.

"All she said was that she was going to the Living Realm on Academy Business."

"See, I told you it implies it." She flashed a smile to Ichigo. "I figured everything out this morning when Yui told me about a weird message from her sister. Also, yesterday, Kyoraku taicho and his fukutaicho visited the school, that's a conformation in itself. They were probably here to tell the sensei's that all the preparations were done."

Ichigo could see many places where he could poke holes in her story. However, he did not really have the heart to point them out. Honoka looked really happy and excited by her supposed discovery, so he changed the subject. "And anyways, when did it become 'our' dream? I just came here to make sure you didn't trip over your own feet." Ichigo laughed.

"Oh, shut up!" she scolded, her face turning pink. "Anyways, you promised to spar with me yesterday, but you never did. Today I won't let you escape."

* * *

Later

Ichigo felt refreshed, sparing with Honoka had really been fun. Swinging around his katana brought back really nostalgic memories. It was nothing like wielding Zangetsu, but it was still an enjoyable exercise. While sparring, Sojun had shown up to practice. Sparring with him was a new experience. Surprisingly, Sojun had not been bad with his blade. Ichigo had beaten him in the end, but it had been a fierce spar that had left both of them exhausted.

Even though he was tired he still walked back to his room with a spring in his step and a smile on his face. A smile which fell straight off of his mouth the moment Ichigo saw who had been waiting for him in his room.

"Yo, what's up?" asked the cool voice of one Kyoraku Shunsui.

Ichigo's face turned white and his mind went blank. Sure, he knew there would be repercussion, but he never expected Kyoraku show up in his room.

"Whoa, you look like you just saw a ghost. Come, sit, have some sake, I don't bite." The taicho invited.

Ichigo moved over to the table, his mind back online and now teeming with questions. It was pretty obvious why Kyoraku was here, but the main question was why he had come personally.

"Hello Kyoraku Taicho, what can I do for you?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh, so you know of me. Never mind that, for now just drink." Kyoraku smiled, as he poured some sake for Ichigo.

The two drank in what seemed like a very oppressive silence in Ichigo's perspective. However, the taicho had a content smile on his face. Ichigo thought of the saying in Macbeth, 'There are daggers in men's smiles.' and Kyoraku's smile was making Ichigo quite nervous. **(1)**

Finally the taicho spoke, "You see, I like entertainment, and you are really interesting, Amamiya-san." **(2)**

"Is that so?"

"Yes, very much so, you don't seem to have much reiryoku, yet…" he trailed off.

"I am just a first year, of course I don't."

"I wonder…"

"About?" Ichigo questioned.

"Where should I start, maybe from yesterday?"

"I was just studying, nothing interesting about that." Ichigo shrugged.

"No, before that."

"Huh?"

"Nah, that's still too late in the story. I should start with your first week of school."

"What story?" Ichigo piped in, now a little confused. What was so interesting about his first week of school?

"Nope, that's still only the middle of the story. Does it start at your admission's exam? Or five years ago?" Kyoraku's voice dipped dangerously low at the end of that statement.

"Huh?" Ichigo always knew that Kyoraku was a little silly sometimes, but this was just downright weird. Ichigo had done some things that made him stand out from time to time, but nothing so major that a taicho would find interesting.

"I look forward to reading the next part, so don't go **_disappearing _**on me." Ichigo felt a shiver go down his spine when the taicho spoke these words.

"ICHIGOOOOO, I smell SAKE," yelled a voice as Ichigo's door slammed open. There stood a very ravenous looking Yoruichi Shihoin.

"Did you plan on drinking alone Ichigo. How could you not invite us, aren't we friends?" Kisuke spoke faking hurt, emerging from behind Yoruichi.

"Well, I understand you not inviting these hooligans, but come on now, I am sane enough when I drink. Am I not?" Apparently Sojun had also decided to tease Ichigo.

"I am not drinking alone; I was drinking with...huh?" Ichigo had turned to point to Kyoraku. There was nobody sitting next to Ichigo.

"Ichigo, how much have you had? Imagining people, where none exist. You even have two glassed on the table! That pretty drunk, I would say." Kisuke analyzed.

"That's why, I am confiscating the rest of this sake!" Yoruichi grinned as she pounced on the jug.

"Ah, whatever, do as you please," Ichigo dismissed. He was used to such treatment. It used to be Rukia and Renji, now it was these three. After all this time, he had grown numb to those words.

"Hey Ichigo, want to know a secret?" Yoruichi yelled, her face was already tinged red. She then proceeded to jump forward and laugh heartily in Ichigo's ear, deafening him. "HA, you fell for it."

"Don't tell me, you guy were drinking before you got here?" Ichigo sighed. Nothing else could explain the Shihoin's attitude and putrid breath. Yoruichi was very childish when she got drunk. It was not the easiest to deal with.

"Just a little?" Kisuke replied, though the statement sounded like a question to Ichigo.

'I'll believe that when pigs fly,' Ichigo thought, but kept silent. "Eh, whatever, as long as you guys help clean up tomorrow."

* * *

Next Day

Ichigo dragged his feet to his first class the next day. It was just the regular seminar class, so he figured sleeping through it would not hurt. He had awoken to find his room absolutely trashed and nobody else in it. None of the others had stayed around to help, not even Sojun who normally kept his promises. Ichigo wished he had drank enough sake to forget the events that had transpired the night before. Yoruichi had been freely transforming from cat to human, creating a bigger mess. Hearing all the commotion, other students had joined in on the so called 'fun,' and brought their own variety of drinks. The small get together of four had turned into a party of at least 20. All in Ichigo's tiny room.

Cleaning up his room had not been fun and had tired him out. However, it also gave him a chance to think about the conversation with Kyoraku before the party. It was peculiar that a taicho was so interested in him. It was even more peculiar that the taicho seemed to know quite a lot about him. The oddest thing however was the last statement he had spoken, about Ichigo disappearing. The tone that the taicho had switched to had not been the nicest one. It made Ichigo think that maybe the taicho knew about the Onmitsukido. Though, he had dismissed the idea immediately after the thought crossed his mind. Yoruichi had made it plainly obvious that the school director did not even know about it, so how could a taicho who barely ever came here know.

Ichigo sat with his eyes closed and head down. The land of the dreams was about to overtake him when he felt a jab in his side. Balefully he glared at the culprit, Kisuke, who grinned slyly. "Go sit down." Ichigo commanded. He was not in the mood for fun.

The class door slammed open, Onabara sensei walked in. This was odd, the class was taught by him, but he rarely showed. He normally had one of his 6th year helpers to supervise the class. Evidently he had something important to announce, and he looked quite uneasy.

"Hello everyone," he started grimly. "Today, I have some great news for you. The first year class will be accompanying the 5th year class on a trip to the living world." However, even though he had said it was great news his voice stayed grim. "The Soutaicho has decided that it was time the newer Gotei 13 recruits got to see how fight hollows works. This trip will also be supervised the 8th division fukutaicho, Yadomaru Lisa." He finished and stepped back.

Yadomaru walked through the still open door. "Hello all, as I was just introduced I will not introduce myself." As she spoke her eyes scoured the class, as if taking stock of each student. When her eyes hit Ichigo, he was absolutely sure her glare hardened and to him it felt the gaze pierced him.

"Now I was supposed to come here and tell you a bunch of things about how great fighting hollows is and all. But, you all seem smart enough to know the truth. Fighting hollows is dangerous, so don't try to be a hero, got it. The academy students will only be fighting fake hollows." She announced strictly. "Also, Kuchiki Sojun, Shihoin Yoruichi, and Urahara Kisuke, your families have deemed that you are not to come with us. I want all the other students to assemble in the courtyard after the second session today. Now, I must go visit the next class. See you all soon." With those words, she marched out the doors she had entered just a minute ago.

The class immediately erupted. Students turned to friends, eyes wide with excitement. Even if the both speakers had said it was dangerous, an excursion to the living world was still quite amazing. Ichigo turned his gaze to his friends, each had a small sad smile on their faces. They had known. They had known about everything, including not being able to go. Maybe that was why they had been drinking before coming to Ichigo's room. They were probably having a little pity party. He felt a little sorry for them, but he also felt a little irked. He had gone and eavesdropped on the headmaster's conversation for nothing. Sure, they were probably told not to tell anyone, but he wasn't just anyone.

He confronted the three after class, "Did you know?"

"Ichigo…" Sojun replied. "We wanted to tell you but…" he trailed off.

"But nothing," interrupted Kisuke. "We came to tell you everything yesterday and felt the reiatsu of Kyoraku taicho. So, assuming you already knew about the trip, we didn't discuss it. However, who would have thought she would announce it to the whole class." He finished his tone turning light at the end.

"Wait a second… You knew that the taicho was there and that I was wasn't drinking alone." Ichigo replied, his eyes thinning. "Yet you still…"

"Whoa there Ichigo, calm down," Yoruichi laughed. "We were just having some good natured fun."

"You remember that?" Ichigo asked shocked.

"Up to that point, yes, after that, not so much," the werecat smiled guiltily.

"Whatever," he replied. He turned as he felt a familiar presence approach.

The presence was Honoka and her friend. Honoka was wearing a gigantic smile, one that was borderline creepy.

"I was RIGHT!" she shouted. "You were completely wrong, hahahaha." She laughed loudly. "So, I get your next paycheck."

"Oh, that's not fair, who could have known such a thing. Anyways, we never made a bet! Plus, I don't even have job here." Ichigo complained at the absurd comments.

"Exactly," she her smile widening, "your first paycheck as a Shinigami. See, I have a plan, I am going to keep winning these bets and collect your future paychecks during our 6 years here." She grinned slyly, "Just warning you now."

"Hey, once again, whoever said anything about making bets!" he complained hotly. She paid no heed to his word and pranced off.

* * *

They rest of the day passed by fairly quickly. Ichigo was a bit apprehensive, but he was also a little excited. The idea of going back made him a little happy. He had learned how the world had been in the past, but he kind of wanted to see it for himself. Plus, he still had not found exactly how far in the past he had been thrown, so he could use his knowledge of Japanese history to ascertain his current time period.

Ichigo made his way over to the courtyard in a hurry. Many students were already milling around the area when her arrived. All were chattering happily amongst themselves. He walked over and stood by Honoka, who was still so excited that she was bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Calm down, Honoka it's just a small visit." He told her.

"I know that, but still, I am from there, I want to know what it looks like!" she replied.

"OK, Ok."

"ALL OF YOU OUT THERE, QUIET!" shouted the voice of Onabara sensei. He then waited for the group to hush before speaking again, "Please form groups of three, only rule, no groups of 5th years and 1st years in one group. There will be one group of two in the first years. Come up here once you decide.

Walking into the Senkaimon, Ichigo's was a little nervous. Last time he had been blasted by the Dangai sweeper. This trip was sponsored by the Soul Society itself, but the strangest things always seemed to happen to him. He had ended up pairing with Honoka and Yui, which wasn't too bad, seeing as this way he could keep his promise and watch over her a little better. Something he would not be able to do once he left the academy. Fortunately he saw nothing suspicious from the pathway this time, it was actually a fairly pleasant stroll. If one could call a brisk walk surrounded by purple and black oozing fluid for walls pleasant. He glance around at his classmates, the reactions were mixed, some like Honoka were staring at the wall with great interest and others were shying away and speeding up.

Coming out on the other side, Ichigo was surprised. He had expected more buildings, less tatami huts and rice paddies. The area that was in front of Ichigo was clearly not modern Japan. That ruled out anything from around 1900 and on. He knew he had travelled back pretty far, but it still struck him. It was also night, so there was no human out in the area. This did not strike him as odd, time in the Dangai precipice world was different. The first time he had gone to the Soul Society, he had left at the living world at night, but it had been day when their little invasion had reached their destination.

"All right, everything 5 km in these three directions," he pointed in every cardinal direction but the village," have been declared safe, fake hollows have been deployed. Go learn." Announced the sensei.

"A total of 50 square kilometers, that's pretty impressive," he heard Yui whisper, he voice showing her awe.

"One last warning," Yadomaru spoke, "If a real hollow shows up, do NOT fight. Run." She clarified. "Now go."

His group took off north. Ichigo kept pace with Honoka and Yui, who were running at full speed. They had all agreed on one thing during the walk through the Dangai. Their group was going to fight at the edge of the safe zone. The most powerful fake hollows would probably be deployed there. On the way they met little resistance, a couple weaklings that even Honoka could've handled with ease. They had gone what Ichigo assumed about two kilometers or so when one that was a little more powerful showed up. Honoka bounded forward and thrust her blade into the hollows mask, but her strike fell short as the hollow moved back. He figured that him jumping in might damage her pride. Big brother sweeping in for the rescue might not fare so well in her books.

"Oh well," he muttered and jumped into the fray anyways, drawing his Asauchi as he did. The hollow had the trademark yellow eyes and hole, the only thing that made it fake was the red marks on its arms that defined as fake. Ichigo held back on both power and technique, he knew that Yadomaru fukutaicho was suspicious of him, so he did not want to stand out. The three of them drove the hollow back further and further. The hollow itself had not attacked once, it had simply dodged. Ichigo's group had made sure it could only dodge. So far, they had been able to chop off all of the hollows 4 arms. Finally Yui got a strike to reach the hollows mask and cleanly sliced it into two. The hollow dissipated fairly realistically.

The group began to fight their way through forest, taking the weaker hollows on alone and teaming up against the stronger ones. It was all going well until all the hollows seemed to disappear. It did not make sense, the time limit was all night, not an hour. Then the sky darkened, which was weird because it was supposed to be night. The three looked up, the sky had not darkened, all the moon light had simply been blotted out. A sea of hollows had appeared in the sky. Real ones, the fake ones could not fly. Also the fake hollows did not roar like these did. Ichigo could hear them from where he was. Ichigo was sure they had not gone out of their 5 km range. So, he did not understand why real hollows were appearing.

Then the voice of Onabara sensei resounded in Ichigo's head **(3)**, "All students return to the clearing immediately. This is an emergency. I repeat return to the clearing immediately. This is an emergency."

Ichigo, Honoka, and Yui all shared the same confused look. Even if the shinigami barrier had been broken, this many hollows was a rare occurrence. Ichigo had only seen this many hollows gathering in one place after Ishida had broken that hollow bait. The three then began sprinting back towards the main area. However, they were traveling a lot slower due to both Honoka and Yui being winded from the fighting. They made it about halfway back when a hollow landed in front of them. Another to their left. Then, two more behind them. Finally one landed on their right, cutting them off completely. Ichigo knew if he had been alone he could probably fight off these 5 lesser hollows. However, he could not both protect the other two and fight at the same time.

Honoka spoke, "What now," her voice wavering quite a bit.

Ichigo bit his lip. He could not release his reiatsu here, it would throw Honoka and Yui to their knees. "We defend. Form a triangle behind me. Face opposite directions, don't let anything get past your katana. We just need to hold out until help arrives." Ichigo commanded.

The girls followed his directions and held out their respective katana, but their grip was not sound and bodies were shaking. Their eyes were filled with fear and their hearts wanting to do nothing more than scream. Ichigo could not see it for himself, but he knew it to be true. The two girls had never been in such a dire situation. Fighting hollows knowing they were fake and would not do any serious harm was completely different. The hollows began their assault. Honoka and Yui somehow kept with the first couple strikes, but soon were completely out matched. Ichigo defended strike after strike from the hollows. Ichigo slashed hard, pushing the hollow back and turned as he heard a scream from behind him. He could only watch as first Yui, then Honoka fall to the ground, both screaming in pain and tears flowing from their eyes. He could not do anything; had hiding his true strength been a mistake? This was the outcome. He hated it, feeling this helpless. He struck forward and released his reiatsu not caring who felt it, all he cared about right now was distracting the hollows from the helpless bodies of the girls. With each strike he took down a hollow, with each bound he moved to the next one, he had attracted quite a crowd after relinquishing control of his reiryoku. When one hollow disappeared, another just seemed to take its place. Ichigo mindless fought the crowd.

It happened on his 11th strike. Ichigo had run up the larger hollow's arm at a ferocious speed. As he struck, a blue arrow flashed past and flew straight through the hollow. Ichigo was happy that the hollow was gone, there was just one problem; the arrow had also intercepted his strike on the hollow. With Zangetsu, the Reishi arrow normally had no effect. So, Ichigo was quite surprised he raised his katana to find only the hilt in his hand. The ground below him, however, was littered with tiny little reflective pieces of his former blade. There was also another problem, the hollows were beginning to advance on him, and Ichigo could not see any more Reishi arrows.

**Ahhh, done. Over 5000 words, this is most definitely the longest chapter I have ever written. Most of my chapter's border on the 2,300 mark, less than half this chapter. I owe it to you guys though, I have disappeared for too long. I cannot promise every Monday updates (probably every other), but I will update. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. If you have any question, leave them send me a PM or leave it in a review. I will get back to you as soon as possible. Also I sincerely apologize for about the first 1,500 words of this chapter. I hit some writer's block, I got over it, but I still don't like that part too much. Oh, and I have a question for you all who have watched the anime. Do you guys prefer the Hollow Ichigo's English Sub voice or Dub voice? I personally prefer the Dubbed voice because it sounds a lot more annoying than the Subbed voice. What do you think? See you all next time.**

**-Wheel Then**

**(1)- I can't remember what episode or chapter it was, but I seem to remember that Ichigo is a fan of Shakespeare.**

**(2)- Now before you guys go all crazy on me about Kyoraku's attitude. Remember his Zanpakuto and its abilities. Children's games. Also, it's no secret that Kyoraku likes to laze off and do nothing. So he has a lot of time. Ukitake said that Kyoraku's bankai should not be released were other people can see. Which leads me to believe that is isn't the softest on the eyes. Finally, all Zanpakuto are originally their wielder, so I took all that into thought, and made him a little more mysterious.**

**(3)-Bakudo 77- Tenteikura **


	8. Awakenings

**Ok, I felt bad about how I ended the last chapter after not posting for a long while. So, here is the next chapter of Teaching of the Past. Thank you to all who Followed, Faved, or Reviewed. Not as long as last time, but has some important details. Hope you guys enjoy it.**

**EDIT: I got a few reviewers asking why Ichigo is so weak, here is the main reason why I did that: I got my inspiration from a quote by Sun Tsu in the "Art of War"**

**"If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle."  
Since Ichigo gained his powers so quickly (ex. Bankai in 3 days), I feel he takes them a little too lightly ****(ex. Using Bankai almost every time he fights).** So, I thought by making him earn his own power, he will learn about himself. Sending him seemingly powerless to the Academy also helps Ichigo understand the enemy he is fighting, Aizen. If he understands where the power of the man he is facing stems from, he can create a better plan of attack.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

**Replies to Guest Reviewers**

**Yoruichifan: Thanks for your review, Ichigo doesn't have the crazy uncontrollable reiryoku like he did back then, but he can do a fair amount of kido and hakuda. So, it's a little hard to answer your question. If you are talking only about reiryoku, he is weaker.**

Awakenings

"Damn," Ichigo cursed. There went his katana. Ichigo wasn't done yet, though, he wasn't going to go down without a fight. Ichigo thought back to his almost daily lessons in the underground training facility. They were going to come in handy earlier than he had expected. Some of the hollows which had been focused on Ichigo earlier had now noticed the girls lying on the ground, defenseless.

Ichigo concentrated his mind and yelled, "Hado 32 Oukasen, Hado 33 Soukatsui!" Ichigo fired off the two kido spells in quick succession, sending off bright beams of yellow and blue which destroyed the hollows that had been advancing on the girls. Ichigo flashed to the next hollow, using shunpo for the first time and brought a powerful kick down on the hollows mask, shattering it. Using a combination of Hohou and Hakudu Ichigo once again began to wade through the waves of hollow. Since Ichigo was directly using his reiryoku as a weapon he could feel himself slowing down. Each strike held less power. He had already fought so much; his blocking was also slowing down.

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the flash of a reishi arrow. He was relieved, until he recognized the target. The bastards were not hollow hunting, they were shinigami hunting, and the only shinigami in the area still upright, was him. Ichigo leapt to his right to avoid the arrows path. It flew by, killing the hollow Ichigo was about to destroy. Ichigo now focused the rest of his power in to dodging; he had no time to attack. The frequency of the arrows was increasing at an alarming rate. The only good thing that came from the onslaught was that the hollows which had been focused on Ichigo, were either vaporized or about to be. Ichigo was helping this process along by intentionally jumping from hollow to hollow. This was a bit of a risk, considering the hollows could also attack him. Considering, that there was only an instant before he landed and the arrows came, it was a risk he was happy to make. As he desperately flashed from hollow to hollow, Ichigo sincerely wished he had more power, if the situation persisted he would not have much time left.

"What are you doing?" a deep voice echoed in Ichigo's mind. Ichigo almost jumped in joy when he heard this. The deep voice was very familiar. It was the voice of his trusted partner, Zangetsu.

"Why do you run? Ichigo, do you like running?" Zangetsu continued.

Ichigo was absolutely elated, for the first time in the last 5 years; he was hearing the voice of Zangetsu. "No," he replied determination clear in his voice. "No, I don't want to be this helpless," he continued. "I don't want to run."

"Then what do you want?"

Ichigo was about to reply, when he heard another voice interrupted his thoughts. This voice was one that was outside his head.

"Smash Haguretonbo." The voice of Yadomaru fukutaicho resounded across the area. The 8th division shinigami had arrived, and to Ichigo their timing could not have been worse. He was grateful that they had arrived; at least now Honoka and Yui would be rescued. He also slightly selfishly wished that they had been a bit more delayed; he had finally spoken to his zanpakuto's spirit. The fukutaicho and about 4 others had reached him. Two of the four raced over to the girls and disappeared with them. Yadomaru was fighting like a demon, traveling so fast that Ichigo could barely keep up with her speed. He watched her and the remaining two shinigami, who had also released their shikai, make short work of the remaining hollows. Then, as the last of the hollows faded, she walked into a clearing and announced, "The rest of your colleagues are dead, so I suggest you give us some answers unless you want to end up the same way." Once she finished, she threw her spear like zanpakuto; the spear whistled threw the air creating wild gusts as it flew and the effect was immediate**(1)**. Three cloaked figures were thrown to the ground. One spoke up, "We are the direct guards Shogun Tokugawa Ienari **(2)**, how dare you simple Samurai and speak in such a way with us. We choose our own form of entertainment. We owe you no explanations!"

Tokugawa!? Ichigo thought, he wasn't sure which shogun was Ienari, but he knew this much, the Tokugawa period was over 200 years ago! Had he really travelled that far back in time?

"Then die." Yadomaru coldly spoke. With a flick of her hand her hand, her zanpakuto flew back into her hand and she dashed toward the trio. That was the last image his eyes relayed before his exhaustion overwhelmed him and he fell into a slumber.

* * *

Ichigo opened his eyes to a very familiar sight. He was lying in a skyscraper filled area, it extended as far as his eyes could see. In fact it looked like any major city except for one thing, all the buildings were sideways. His was also fully energized; his inner world always seemed to give him energy. The scene brought back some old memories, most good. He stood and peered around for Zangetsu.

"Hey," Ichigo greeted. Zangetsu stood in front of Ichigo, perched on a flagpole like usual. His appearance was no different from their last meeting, billowing black cloak, dark sunglasses which hid one eye, and an imperceptible glare etched on his face.

"It seems our last conversation was interrupted." The zanpakuto stated.

"Been a while, hasn't it?" Ichigo continued, ignoring Zangetsu's statement. "Zangetsu."

"Oh, you know my name. May I ask how?" The man's voice held an amused tone.

"So, you don't remember me?" Ichigo asked. Ichigo was calm, he wasn't surprised. In fact, he had almost been expecting it. If Zangetsu knew about their bond, he would have shown himself earlier. It was the only viable explanation to the old man's absence. "It seems I will just have to make you remember."

Ichigo closed eyes and thought back to something Ishida had said long ago, something about a shinigami's reiraku. Ichigo opened his eyes to see boxes surrounding him; white, plain, unremarkable boxes **(3)**. Ichigo called out the reiraku of each box. Ribbons appeared from each box and streaked towards Ichigo. One thing he was happy about, Ichigo did not have to worry about being turned into a hollow like last time. He grabbed the only off-colored ribbon, a red one, and pulled. The last time he had done this, the box had contained his old broken blade. This time he pulled out a katana, a simple katana, one that looked no different than his shattered asauchi. However, this blade was different. He could feel its compacted power as it thrummed in hand.

"Here I come." Ichigo warned as he dashed forward.

"Well, come then," the old man replied as he too leapt forward, a katana materializing in his hand.

The fight was a furious one, both were on about even ground. Ichigo fought like a mad man, he was going to make Zangetsu remember everything. He was going to make him remember by showing Zangetsu's own power to him. That should jog any dormant memories. There was just one flaw in the plan; Ichigo had absolutely no idea how to release his shikai. In the past his katana was always in shikai. He could even remember Yoruichi once saying that it was because of his lack of control that he could not seal his weapon like all other shinigami.**(4)**

As the fight progress, Ichigo began losing ground. His skills with the blade were still quite rusty. Against hollows, he was ok, but against such a skilled opponent, his errors were glaring. Ichigo fell to his knees as Zangetsu landed a heave blow to his shoulder. Ichigo could feel the blood trickling down his side, Zangetsu retreated and spoke, "Would you like to continue?"

"Damn," Ichigo cursed as he spit out some blood. "Not bad old man." There was only one option left. Since he did not know the release command, he would just have to release everything. In the past he had been stuck in Shikai because his lack of control. So, maybe now if he released his control, he might be able to activate it again.

"AAAHHHHHHH!," with one torrential yell, Ichigo released everything. Wind whipped through the calm air and blue light enveloped Ichigo. When it faded, Ichigo stood firm, a cleaver like blade resting on his shoulder. "Recognize this?" he asked confidence with in his tone.

"How?"

"So not yet, eh? Then let me show you this. GETSUGA TENSHO!" he yelled as he slashed, sending a blast of blue light in the old man's direction.

"-" As the attack hit, Zangetsu murmured something Ichigo could not catch.

Ichigo zanpakuto shrank back into katana form. He didn't have the reiryoku to maintain shikai. The trip to his inner world had refreshed Ichigo's power quite a bit, but not completely.

The smoke cleared to reveal a standing Zangetsu, seemingly unaffected by the attack. Ichigo raised his katana, if that had not worked, he really did not know what else to do.

The zanpakuto spoke, "It really has been a while. I see your control has improved."

"You knew!" Ichigo shouted, quite exasperated. Was all that fighting for nothing?

"No, I didn't, but now I do."

"It wasn't a waste after all, huh?"

"I guess not. So, could you explain to me our current predicament?"

"Sure, what is the last memory you can recall?"

"Okay, I understand." Zangetsu replied after Ichigo finished.

"Do you have any ideas, on what might have happened?" Ichigo asked, hoping that the Zanpakuto would have some answers.

"I may, but nothing concrete. There is one point that puzzles me. If whatever sent us back withheld my memory, how come you did not wake up with amnesia?" the spirit seemed to pensively stare off into the distance.

"Anyways, I believe our time is up. Also, for next time, don't release all your reiatsu to release me. My command is 'Alight.' See you again, Ichigo," Zangetsu bid farewell. **(5)**

"Wait, I am not don-." Was all Ichigo could say before his vision went black.

* * *

Ichigo opened his eyes again to see a black night sky and the natural sounds of crickets. He took account of his body. He could feel his sealed Zanpakuto pressing against his back. He was covered in cuts and nicks, and his left arm was beginning to go numb. He stood up to see that he was in the same place as before. Yadomaru was still locked in a fierce battle with the three quincies. The three were fighting with what looked like swords made up purely of blue light **(6)**. Yadomaru was clearly the better fighter, had it been one on one, she probably would have won ages ago. However, the two shinigami that had stayed to help her were lying in pool of blood off to the side. So, the three had ganged up on her. Ichigo knew he had to do something, releasing his shikai was his immediate thought. He decided against it because another thought came to mind. Kido. A low level kido spell would distract them, giving Yadomaru enough time to finish them off.

"Hado 4 Byakuyrai!" Ichigo yelled. A blue beam shot towards the group and struck the fighter Ichigo had been aiming for. The quincy was illuminated as the kido struck him. He was lifted off his feet and thrown back. The other two quincies whipped their heads around to look for the position of their new assailant. They never found him. The second they took their eyes off of the 8th division fukutaicho, she struck the fatal blows.

Ichigo walked out into the clearing and was about to greet the taicho when she turned on him and began yelling, "Why didn't you RUN!? Your instructions were to run from a fight not to JOIN in! Because of that, you got hurt; I don't even know what condition those girls are in."

This made Ichigo a little mad; he had just helped her beat the quincies, and this was how she repaid him. Also, she had implied some other things that were completely not true. "Hey, we did run, we were much further out than this. We were surrounded, there was no other choice. Besides, why were you so late and what happened to the barrier!" he yelled in return.

She looked just about ready to start attacking him and then all of a sudden she looked down and shook her head. "Sorry, I'm just a little shaken up, losing comrades is never easy. Thank you for your help. I saw you faint earlier, so I assumed the worst. Then when I was wrong I exploded on you. Sorry." She apologized.

"That was some pretty good aim you had their, maybe you could join the Kido Corps after the academy." He heard the lulling voice of Kyoraku before, for the third time that day, Ichigo vision went black.

* * *

"Wake up already!" Ichigo heard a voice.

Ichigo slowly opened his eyes and blinked a couple times. He did not recognize where he was, "Where am I?"

"Welcome to the Eighth Division Barracks in the Gotei 13. You are currently in the taicho's quarters. Welcome." The man announced like a game show host. It was Kyoraku.

Ichigo groaned, "What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing much, I just have some questions to ask you. Like, where did you get that katana?"

Ichigo mind jumped to full processing speed, what was going on here? It made no sense. "I got it from the school, sir, it is my asauchi."

"No, your asauchi was shattered, I saw its pieces. Now, I'll ask again, where did you get that katana?" Then he smiled, "Is it because I knocked you out? Is that why you refuse to answer? If it is I apologize."

Ichigo stayed silent, he wasn't sure what to say. He must have had an unsure look on his face because the taicho began to speak again. "You know, you aren't masking your reiatsu at right now. Your level reiryoku is as clear as day. If you weren't in school right now, I'd say you would be a good candidate for a 9th seat."

Ichigo swiveled his head, "What are you talking about? I am masking my reiatsu." He said in disbelief. Then he realized that he fallen right into the taicho's trap. "Shit."

"Oh, there's no need for those word here," the taicho reprimanded. "However, you did just give yourself away." Kyoraku smiled.

"You can't tell anybody, please," Ichigo pleaded. True, hiding his power level had led to the earlier events. But, if he hadn't hidden his power level, he might not have been there when the hollows and quincies attacked. Who knows what would have happened to Honoka and Yui in that situation. He shivered at the thought of it.

"Don't tell anyone what? That you are being trained by the Onmitsukido?" Kyoraku laughed, "I won't tell. Heck, I was one of the taicho's that help create that system! One look at you and I already knew. There is one thing I want to know, though,"

"About?" Ichigo asked, a little suspicious.

"The Dangai sweeper, the Kototsu."

**Ok, that's all for this chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it. Much faster than last time, huh. Oh and I noticed something recently. The email's I get from FF about reviews censor the reviews. I was surprised to see instead of the words, I only saw asterisks. Just so you flamers out there know, I find your review hilarious. So please keep leaving them, it's fun to read what people say when they can hide behind the Anonymous flag. This chapter was written pretty quick, so if there are any mistakes, please let me know. See you all next time.**

**-Wheel Then**

**(1)- Yadomaru's ability hasn't yet been shown, but the way she released her shikai in the anime made me believe it might have something to do with wind or air.**

**(2) Tokugawa Ienari was the shogun in japan in the years 1786-1837. Also, I believe the quincies would have ranked higher in the hierarchy because they fought enemies that that the samurai could not, thus earning higher favor from the Shogunate.**

**(3)- This is similar to how Ichigo awakens his soul reaper powers in the Urahara basement.**

**(4)- I am not sure which chapter or episode Yoruichi says this, but it came up on the Bleach Wiki and it helps my story, so I am going with it.**

**(5)-I came up with "Alight" as the command from four sources. "Getsuga Tensho" means Moon Fang Heavan-Piercer, which in Shikai has the color of moonlight . My next source was Isshin, whose release command is "Burn" and he and Ichigo's zanpakuto seem to share many similarities. Third, if you look at Zangetsu's cloak, it is always moving, even with no wind, almost like flame. Finally, the Saigo no Getsuga Tensho form looks a lot like a black fire type of reishi surrounding Ichigo. **

**P.S. I tried to fit it in better than an offhanded comment, but I could not think of a way that wouldn't make the story choppy.**

**(6)- Seele Schneider wasn't debuted by Ishida until after travelling to Hueco Mundo, so Ichigo has not seen it yet.**


	9. Confrontations

**Whats up. Hey, been a while, I know. Life caught up with me a little, between spring finals, summer classes and working everyday, I have not had too much time. However, now two of my summer courses are done and only one remains, thus I have more time to write. Oh and huge thanks to my new beta Anchora for beta this chapter for me. So with without further ado, Chapter 9.**

**EXTRA: I started this fic in January so some of the elements will be non - canon due to me not knowing them at the time.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. **

**Confrontations**

"Huh?" Ichigo responded. He wasn't sure what to say. "It's not like I know too much about it myself."

"I want to know happened that day, the one 5 years ago."

"What do you already know?" Ichigo asked. Feigning ignorance was definitely not going to work. "More importantly, how do you know about it?"

"I'll tell you. I'll start at the beginning. That day the 13th division was set for patrol missions in their assigned districts. As the taicho, Ukitake-san was also going to go along. However, that morning he was struck with a seizure. So, being the good friend I am, I volunteered myself for his duty," Kyoraku flashed a smile.

"Really?" sarcastically commented Ichigo and gave the older man a critical glare. Ichigo had a tough time believed that Kyoraku would just volunteer for work.

"Okay, it was suggested by Unohana taicho, who by the way is a wonderful woman." At this point he cast his gaze around nervously. "Anyways, that day I went out to patrol the Districts, when I saw an illegal senkaimon open in the sky. That was when you fell out."

"Wait just a minute, you let me fall who knows how far and you just watched!?"

"Well, that's not completely false, but not true either. You see, I was going to help you seeing that you had a black shihakusho and zanpakuto on your back. Although, as you fell, your clothing and your zanpakuto slowly dematerialized, leaving a black trail of smoke behind you. Then, another odd thing occurred. The smoke thinned - creating a strand connecting you to the senkaimon above. Then you slowly began rising as that rope began to pull you back in."

"What the hell? Are you sure you're not making this up? It's pretty unbelievable." Ichigo raised one of his angular brows, crossing his arms and that signature scowl across his face. If Kyoraku was lying, he was doing a hell of a job.

"I can assure you I will never forget this day due to its oddity. Seeing it pull you back in, I flashed to it and used my own blade to cut it. The part that had been connected to the Senkaimon flew into it, after which it closed. The rest flew back into you and you went hurtling to the ground."

"And you just left the incident alone and did not report it?" The orange-haired teen had a tough time believing that the taicho had let such a weird event pass without another look.

"No, I did report it. I was tired that day from all the work and I knew that this was Jushiro's assigned district so I knew he would do a good job. However, the investigator came back with the report that the culprit who had fallen into the soul society had not survived. I believed that until I saw your face outside the headmaster's office."

"Okay, I understand what you know, but that's actually more than I know myself. Also, where does the Kototsu come into play?"

"The Kototsu is the key. The black strand that was connected you was not just connected to the Senkaimon, but to the eye of the Kototsu. I saw this as I cut it the string. Which is why I ask, what do you know about the Kototsu?"

"About the Kototsu, I don't really know all too much myself. Only what some drunken shinigami had spilled. So, I can't vouch for accuracy," Ichigo looked to the taicho, who nodded for him to continue. "My understanding is that the Kototsu takes the travelers it encounters and sweeps them into different times. However, all of that is just theory because there is no proof."

"That's the textbook definition. Hmph, everyone knows that. Anything else?"

"Nope, sorry."

"That's enough for today. You should go back to the academy; otherwise your friends will begin to worry."

Then two people flashed through his mind, Honoka and Yui. A huge feeling of guilt also followed, he had been having this conversation with Kyoraku taicho and not once had he thought about the pair. "Are they okay!?" His shouted to the taicho.

"They...Ah, you mean the rest of your group, right?"

"Yes! How are they!?"

"You will have to go the 4th division barracks yourself. I have not gotten any reports on health of the injured students. I can have another Shinigami escort you."

"Please!"

"Wait here." He then proceeded to leave the room. He returned with a lean man with lined blonde hair behind him. "This is Yasochika Iemura, 7th seat of the 4th division. He was taking care of your injuries while you were knocked out earlier."

Ichigo began to rise using his arms as leverage. The second he put pressure on his left, it gave out. In fact, his entire left arm was completely numb. "What the hell?" he cursed.

"Be careful, your arm is severely damaged," Yasochika scolded, "I was able to heal most of your wounds, but level of damage to your arm…" he trailed off. "The only thing I could do was numb it."

"But it can be healed, correct?"

"Yes, that is for sure. Now if you would lean on me, I can get us to the fourth division much faster than walking."

The sight in the 4th division was not pretty. Cots were spread in an orderly fashion with shinigami scuttling around in haste with medicine and other such things. There were shinigami and students alike lying in the cots, some silent and sleeping, others were screaming and shouting. A lot of injuries had occurred on this trip.

"This is your cot." Yasochika led him to a subdivision of the room. It was cordoned off from the main room. The people here seemed more animated. Ichigo concluded that this room held the less injured students. Ichigo was pleased to find that there were quite a few students here, although it was still less than half the total that had departed.

* * *

"Amamiya Honoka and Itsuka Yui."

"I beg your pardon?" he gave Ichigo a confused stare.

"My group mates, how are they?"

"I apologize, I do not know. I have only just come here myself. I was at the 9th division before to heal you and Yadomaru fukutaicho."

"Okay," he replied a little put off. He waited until the man disappeared before setting off himself. He would face the medical staff later; he needed to find the girls first.

Neither was awake, both snoozing peacefully on their beds. This put Ichigo at ease a little, it did not seem like they were in too much pain.

"How are they?" He asked a passing medic.

The medic stared at him.

"I'm her brother and they were both in my group." Ichigo explained, allaying the man's suspicion.

"Both are stable at the moment. No longer critical. However, since they're comatose, there is no way to tell when they will awaken, or even if they'll wake up at all. What they have experienced was no small matter. The body may heal, but there is no telling how it will affect the mind." The medic replied, his voice sounded a little rehearsed. It probably was considering the number of injured students, they needed to warn the friends and family of possible trauma.

"Have their families been notified?" Ichigo croaked.

"No. We are currently in that process." The medic proceeded to walk away. Ichigo swore he saw a pitying look in the shinigami's eyes.

* * *

Ichigo opened his eyes to a brown ceiling. It had been a few days since the incident, the first year class had no casualties, yet. Over a third were still hospitalized, including Honoka. One group of 5th years who had believed that they could beat the hollows had not survived. The 9th division scouting unit had been decimated by quincies and none of the support unit had survived unscathed. The only good news was that the quincies which had attacked had all been killed.

"What have you done Ichigo?" Yoruichi's voice drifted from the room.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, your training was supposed to be secret! Yet, you still went out there and showed off your abilities to the entire world. That was not part of the deal."

"What was I supposed to do Yoruichi, let them die just to keep a little bit of secrecy?"

"No, you could have just delayed the hollows a little and waited for the shinigami to arrive."

"And do what with the quincies shooting deadly bolts of reishi at me or the ravenous hollows advancing on the limp bodies of Yui and Honoka?" Ichigo deadpanned.

"Ichigo, I understand your sentiment, but you have to understand, this is real life. People die, you have to understand that. Must I repeat the Onmitsukido code to you?" **(1)**

"I won't let people die just because, there is a chance that I might fall as well."

"Then I'll put it plain, Ichigo I don't know if you're right for the Onmitsukido."

"If it means that I simply let people die, then I don't know if I am either!"

"Relax Ichigo, I'll give you a few days to consider it. Your my friend, I don't want you thrown into the nest of maggots over something like this."

"Nest of maggots, why there?"

"I told you when you joined, once you begin training, we cannot have you leaking secrets. No matter how trustworthy I know you to be." She added seeing Ichigo's face. "It's policy"

Ichigo could only stare at her retreating form; he had found out the maggots nest a few weeks ago. It was an idea that Ichigo found absolutely repulsive. Imprisoning an innocent person all because they had a possibility of become evil was not one he agreed with. It seemed that 'Innocent till proven guilty' was not something used here. Ichigo had decided on his very first visit to the facility that if he ever returned to the prison that it would be too early.

Instantly, he jolted up and sprinted out of his room. "Yoruichi, wait, I'm not quitting. However, I won't let innocent people die when there was something I could do."

"And I wouldn't want you to; you just need to understand that you cannot always save everyone. After all, "she smiled, "I can't have one of our finest recruits dyeing before graduation. Oh and Ichigo…" she trailed off, stifling a giggle.

"What?"

"I'm flattered that you chased after me, however next time, at least put on some pants." She laughed.

Ichigo looked down, sure enough; the only clothing on his body was pair boxers.

It was like this that Kyoraku found the pair. "Ah, Ichigo-kun, just the man I was looking for." He smiled, though it never reached his eyes.

"Give me a minute," Ichigo replied and dashed back into his room.

"Now that you're fully dressed, I have some grim news. It's about your sister."

* * *

Ichigo stood awkwardly at the side of the bed. His eyes were closed. He could not bear to watch his sister convulsing. The medic's told him that in the middle of the night she and 4 other students had become critical overnight. Three had already died and Honoka was close. The medics had also told him that this condition was completely new. From what they had analyzed, it was not something that had occurred during the excursion to the living world.

His adoptive parents had closed their shop and come immediately up here with Kyoraku taicho and also sat in the room that Honoka had been moved into. Ichigo could not meet eithers eye, he had promised to protect Honoka and his failure was evident.

The room fell silent, the convulsions had stopped.

**And just like that chapter 9 comes to an end. Will I kill Honoka or will I let her live, hmm. I could work my current plot in either direction. What do you think? Anyways, the next chapter should be in two weeks or so. So, see you all next time.**

**-Wheel Then**

**(1)- Copied from Bleach wiki, the onmitsudkido code. At least the one I am using ****_"If you see your allies losing, that's your chance. Don't step between them. Take the enemy down from behind. And if the enemy is so strong you can't even do that, then just watch your ally be killed. That's what it means to be Onmitsukidō." _**


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